Shinken Reunion Party, Let's Go On!
by Crystal Blue Montana
Summary: Post-Act 49 Go-onger/Shinkenger crossover. "Please come. We'll have a party," said Kotoha to Saki at the end of the VS. It's now party time! Chiaki/Kotoha, Sousuke/Miu, and a crack pairing that no one's ever thought of before or since. YMMV on whether or not the Takeru/Mako shown could be construed as shippy.
1. Gather

**Shinken Reunion Party, Let's Go On!**

**I'd been intrigued by the idea of the Go-ongers and Shinkengers getting together for a party at the Shiba house ever since Saki and Kotoha expressed interest in the idea towards the end of **_**Shinkenger VS Go-onger**_**, and I know I've been beaten to the punch at writing such a fic. However, I still wanted to write my take on how such an event would go down, so **_**voila**_**.**

**The timeline is after the conclusion of the **_**Shinkenger**_** series, and references my fic "I Like Your Type," so Chiaki and Kotoha are together here. Other pairings may or may not happen.**

_**Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Engine Sentai Go-onger**_**, and all characters and references therein are the property of Toei of Japan. As much as I would love to own these properties, I do not, and my usage of them in this fanfic is not meant to infringe.**

**Chapter 1: Gather**

Takeru surveyed the courtyard in back of the Shiba house. Strings of lights stretched overhead, from one end of the house to the other. Long tables with assorted arrangements of food were set up on the left and right borders of the lawn, with Genta's sushi cart positioned at the end of the right column. A lighted gazebo had been set up at the far end of the courtyard, with an entertainment center installed inside. Several _kuroko_ were busy setting up tables and chairs all about the lawn.

"Hey, _Take-chan_," said Genta cheerily, marching up to Takeru and resting his forearm on Takeru's shoulder. "What do you think?"

"It's awfully showy, don't you think?" muttered Takeru.

"Hey, come on," whined Genta, "this is a festive occasion! Everyone is coming back to the house, and the Go-ongers are coming, too!"

"That's right," said Hikoma, who had come onto the porch. "I've been looking forward to this day. I have sure missed having everyone around here."

Takeru couldn't help but let out a bit of a smile as he turned his attention back to the preparations. Hikoma was right. Tonight was going to be a special night for everyone. It had been nearly a year since the Shinkengers had repelled the Gedoushu and sent the Sanzu River back into the underworld, and it was the first time since then that everyone would be gathering at the Shiba house. Takeru had been surprised to discover that he missed the quintet that had served as his vassals more than he thought he would, and that he considered them much more than vassals; they were his friends… his family. He kept in regular contact with Kaoru, and he was able to meet with Ryunosuke and Chiaki on several occasions because they were in Tokyo. He had even accompanied Chiaki to Kyoto once to visit Kotoha, but he hadn't seen Mako and Genta since they had left for Hawaii and France respectively.

When the time was right for everyone to reunite at the Shiba house, Takeru remembered that Kotoha had mentioned to Saki of the Go-ongers that if they were all in town, she hoped to have a party at the mansion for everyone, so he decided to check in with Sousuke and his group to see if they were available. Ever since the Shinkengers had helped the Go-ongers take out Gaiark Chairman Batcheed, the threat level in the different Braneworlds was at a minimum, so everyone had once again gone back to their regular lives. Upon hearing that Takeru was inviting them to a party, complete with a weekend stay at the Shiba house, all of the Go-ongers enthusiastically accepted.

Now, with the party preparations nearly complete, all that was left was to wait for everyone to arrive. Ryunosuke and Chiaki were the first, and had already unpacked for the weekend. Kaoru, with Tanba in tow, was next, followed soon after by Genta. Takeru sent Ryunosuke to Narita Airport to pick up Mako, Chiaki went to the train station to pick up Kotoha, and the Go-ongers were apparently all coming in something called the Ginjiro-go.

o-o-o-o-o

At the Twin Ring Motegi racetrack, Ren called out, "Sousuke! The bus is here! Where are you?" The bus that would bring Sousuke and Ren into Tokyo from Motegi pulled into the general parking lot of the racetrack.

Sousuke burst from the clubhouse, in his Go-onger racing jacket and carrying a red duffle bag. "Sorry to keep you waiting! Let's go at mach speed!"

Ren, dressed in a blue oxford shirt, paisley-patterned skinny tie, and black jeans, looked Sousuke up and down. "Is that what you're wearing to the party?"

"Why? What's wrong with this?"

Ren shrugged. "It's just that we're not on duty right now, so you can wear something else besides that. Surely, you've got other clothes in your bag besides your Go-onger stuff?" Sousuke's sheepish silence told Ren what he needed to know. He smiled and patted Sousuke on the shoulder. "Get on the bus," he said. "We'll have to see if Hiroto will lend you something for the party when we get to the villa."

o-o-o-o-o

Kotoha stepped out from the train that had pulled into the Tokyo station. She looked around; the last time she had been on a train that brought her to Tokyo, she seemed to have exited on a different platform, so she felt somewhat disoriented. She was about to start for the street when her vision suddenly went dark, obscured by someone's hands over her eyes, and a voice called to her, "Guess who?" Her heart beating a rapid staccato, Kotoha grabbed her attacker's wrists, lifted them over her head, and, as she pressed her thumbs hard into the offending joints, whirled to accost her attacker.

"Ow!" Chiaki was dropped to one knee, face scrunched up in pain. "Kotoha! It's me!"

Kotoha was surprised and relieved. "Chiaki! I'm sorry! Are you all right?" Loosening her grip on Chiaki's wrists, she crouched down to rub them. "I thought you might have been one of those perverts on the trains!"

"Oh, crap. I'm sorry. I hadn't thought about that. Pretty stupid of me, huh?" said Chiaki sheepishly. He stood up, bringing Kotoha up with him. "I'm sorry." He hugged Kotoha tightly before reaching behind himself. "Here, maybe this will sort of make up for that." From his back pocket, Chiaki withdrew a small bouquet of chrysanthemums and held it out to Kotoha. "Welcome back."

Kotoha's eyes widened at the sight of the flowers. "Wow," she gasped. "They're beautiful." She took the bouquet from Chiaki and beamed. "I forgive you. Thank you." She raised herself up to hug him once more.

"Thank _you_." Chiaki held Kotoha close. "I've missed you so much."

Kotoha closed her eyes, taking in the comforting scent of Chiaki's body spray as he held her. "I've missed you, too. I've missed everyone!"

"Well, let's not keep them waiting too long," said Chiaki. He took Kotoha's backpack from her and slung it over his own back. He held his free hand out to Kotoha, who took hold of it, interlacing their fingers. Together, they rushed to leave the train station.

o-o-o-o-o

Miu dabbed a little perfume behind her ears. Smiling at her reflection, she set her perfume bottle down on her vanity, and called, "_Ani_, I need help with my suitcases!"

Hiroto appeared at the doorway of Miu's bedroom. "Miu, what do you need with all of that? We're only going to be at the Shiba house for the weekend."

"True, but you never know when a few extra cute dresses could come in handy," said Miu.

Hiroto had to chuckle. "You are such a princess." The doorbell rang, so he went to answer the door. "Ren, Sousuke," he said, greeting his visitors.

"Hello, Hiroto," said Ren, carrying his suitcase and a medium-sized cooler into the villa and setting them inside the foyer. "Nice suit."

"Thank you." Hiroto looked over at Sousuke and raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you're wearing?"

Sousuke threw his hands up. "Will someone tell me what is so wrong about me wearing this to the party?"

Ren smiled pleasantly and simply said, "Hiroto, will you let Sousuke borrow an outfit for tonight?"

"Hmm. All right. Unlike some people," remarked Hiroto, tilting his head in the direction of Miu's room, "I didn't pack half my closet for just the weekend." He pushed a weakly protesting Sousuke in the direction of his own room.

Ren took a seat on the couch, but no sooner had he sat down, Miu entered the room. "Miu, hello! You look just beautiful." Ren stood up in greeting.

"Hi Ren, and thank you." Miu twirled slowly to show off her black slipdress adorned with crystals. "I love this dress." She smiled sweetly. "Will you help me bring my suitcases out?"

"Sure," answered Ren. When he got to Miu's room, his eyes opened wide. _Hiroto wasn't kidding!_ Miu had three large suitcases and two smaller ones packed and ready to go. Neverthless, he obliged Miu, lugging out the suitcases two at a time.

"Thank you." Miu looked around. "Where are _Ani_ and Sousuke?"

"Sousuke's borrowing some clothes from your brother. He was actually going to wear his Go-onger uniform to the party."

"Really?" Miu was about to laugh when she saw Sousuke emerge from Hiroto's room. He wore a dark gray V-necked T-shirt, black vest, and artfully torn blue jeans. Miu drew her breath in sharply, and she felt her face growing warm. "Um, hi Sousuke," she said in an uncharacteristically meek voice.

Sousuke was still grumbling about why Ren and Hiroto had been making a big deal about his clothes when he looked up, saw Miu, and was dumbstruck. _My gosh! Is that Miu? Wow…_ "Uh, hi Miu. You, uh, you look nice." He stood rooted to where he was until Hiroto nudged him. "What?" he said, shooting a glance at Hiroto before his feet guided him to the couch where Ren had seated himself once more, all the while still staring at Miu.

"Well," said Ren, "I guess now we just have to wait for Gunpei to get here with Saki and Hanto."

Hiroto nodded in agreement, looking over at Sousuke, who was now trying _not_ to look at Miu, whose face was now quite flushed. Hiroto made a mental note to keep an eye on Sousuke that weekend.

o-o-o-o-o

Gunpei pulled the Ginjiro-go in front of the Golden Bear Cake Shop and Café. Saki stood outside, holding a cake box; a small suitcase sat next to her on the sidewalk. She waved at Gunpei.

"Saki, where's Hanto?"

"Umm, I haven't seen him yet. He's late." Saki's brow furrowed as she climbed aboard the Ginjiro-go.

"That guy," muttered Gunpei. He squinted and saw a figure dressed in a green jacket, blue jeans, and white sneakers running frantically down the sidewalk, dragging a rolling suitcase behind him. "There he is." When Hanto reached the open door of the Ginjiro-go, Gunpei simply said, "You're late."

"I'm… sorry…" Hanto puffed. "I was… picking up my… paycheck…"

"You idiot. What did you go do that for? We're set for the weekend. If there's anything Takeru's not paying for while we're there," said Gunpei exasperatedly, "Hiroto and Miu will have it covered."

"I just thought that having a few extra yen, just in case, would be nice," Hanto protested. He pulled his suitcase up into the Ginjiro-go, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Hey," Saki piped up. "Smile, smile!" She reached out to first Hanto, then Gunpei, grabbing their cheeks and pulling them upwards. "We've all been looking forward to today. Let's all smile and be happy."

Gunpei's eyes softened and he grinned. "You're right, Saki." He looked over at Hanto, who wore a slightly wounded expression on his face. "Sorry. I'm just excited about my first day off in a long time. You know how exhausting my work is. Let's go on and pick up the others."

o-o-o-o-o

Ryunosuke looked around the international terminal of Narita Airport, unsure of where to go. Aside from the one time when Mako's parents had visited briefly, he had never set foot in an airport either before or since. He looked up at a schedule board that read "Arrivals" and began to scan it. "Hawaii, Hawaii," he mumbled, trying to find the location on the board. "Sydney, Beijing, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Zurich, Dubai… where is the flight from Hawaii? I can't find Hawaii!" he wailed.

"That's because you apparently don't know that Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii," a soothing voice chided.

Ryunosuke turned slowly to see Mako smirking at him. "Mako!" He crushed her to his chest in relief. "Welcome back!"

Mako's "Good to be back" was muffled in Ryunosuke's jacket. She extricated herself from his grip. "You're looking well, Ryunosuke. Looks like the world of kabuki is being good to you. Where is everyone else?"

"_Tono_ sent just me to meet you. He and Genta are staying behind at the house to help _Jii_ and the _kuroko-tachi_ prepare for the party. _Hime-sama_ and _Tanba-san_ are at the house, too. Chiaki is going to the train station to pick up Kotoha, and the Go-ongers are all coming to the house together." He took a closer look at Mako. "Something different about you."

"Really? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, but you look... different somehow. Hmmm. I'm not sure what it is." Ryunosuke kept peering at Mako's face, trying to figure out what was different about her.

"Ryunosuke, you're creeping me out," said Mako. "Figure it out later." She grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's go get my luggage and get to the house."

o-o-o-o-o

Chiaki helped Kotoha off the city bus that stopped two blocks from the Shiba house. They walked, hand in hand, Kotoha looking all around her. "It hasn't changed much, has it?"

"Not really, except that the Gedoushu aren't coming to rip up the city every freakin' day," said Chiaki. "I don't get much of a chance to come up here these days because of class, though. This is my first time in a while. You know, I actually miss being here."

Chiaki and Kotoha approached the gates of the Shiba house. Kotoha felt her heart beating faster. "This is so exciting!"

Chiaki laughed. "Isn't it, though? I mean, yeah, I'm totally amped that you're here with me, but I'm almost as pumped up about getting to see everyone again."

Once they got inside the gates of the Shiba house, Kotoha noticed the shiny red Ford Mustang convertible parked off to the side. "Is this the car that _Tono-sama_ bought?" she asked.

"Yeah. Pretty sweet, isn't it? He had it imported from America." Chiaki looked at the sports car with envy before he called, "Hey, Takeru! I'm back with Kotoha!"

Takeru emerged from inside the house, followed by Kaoru, Hikoma, and Tanba. "Chiaki, I swear that I don't know who's louder sometimes, you or Genta." Seeing Kotoha holding onto Chiaki's hand, a small smile appeared on his face. "Kotoha, good to see you again." He patted her gently on the shoulder. He nodded in greeting to Chiaki.

"Hello again, _Tono-sama_," said Kotoha, bowing deeply. She turned to Kaoru, Hikoma, and Tanba and bowed. "Hello, _Hime-sama, Jii-san, Hime-sama no Jii-san._"

Hikoma was smiling broadly. "_Tono_ had told me that you two had started dating. I'm happy that you finally got the opportunity!"

Tanba whispered to Kaoru, "_Hime_, are you sure they can be this way?"

"Be quiet!" hissed Kaoru to Tanba. "If Takeru sees no problem with Chiaki and Kotoha dating, then I'm not going to argue with him, especially now that we can once again live normal lives." She turned to Kotoha and said warmly, "Kotoha, welcome home," and nodded at Chiaki and smiled. "You two really look good together."

"Thanks," said Chiaki, looking at Kotoha and smiling at her. "Come on, let's get your stuff inside. Our rooms are still as we left them."

Before anyone could move, Ryunosuke and Mako came walking through the gates. "_Ryu-san! Mako-chan!_" said Kotoha excitedly. She practically dragged Chiaki behind her as she ran to greet the new arrivals, with Takeru and Kaoru a few steps behind them.

"_Tono!_" said Ryunosuke. "You sent me to Narita Airport, and I have returned. I had a little bit of difficulty at first, but I have brought Mako back with me just as– "

"Ryunosuke."

"Yes?"

"Too long." Takeru looked to Mako and his smile returned. "Mako, you look fantastic. I like your tan."

Mako grinned, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Thank you. I see you're still doing well." She turned to Kaoru and nodded. "Good to see you again, _Kaoru-sama_."

Kaoru nodded in return at Mako. "Welcome home. Takeru's right. Your tan looks good on you. You must be enjoying life in Hawaii."

Ryunosuke's eyes suddenly opened wide. "That's it! Mako! You've gotten a suntan! How did I not see this before?"

"_Kotoha-chan! Mako-chan!_" Genta came running from the house, arms spread wide. He made a bit of a flying leap to try to bear hug Kotoha, but Chiaki steered her out of the way, and Genta ended up flat on his stomach in front of Mako.

"_Gen-san!_ Are you okay?" asked Kotoha, looking concerned.

Genta leaped up. "I'm more than okay! I'm _magnifique!_ And forgive me for being so forward. I'm just excited that we're all back together again!"

Suddenly, a horn honked outside of the gates of the Shiba house. Everyone scrambled out of the gates to see what was making all the noise. They came face to face with a large silver motorhome with red and white checkerboard accents, red lettering, and a stylized silver "G" stenciled on the side. Part of the red lettering was covered up with a black and white decal that made the lettering read "_Gunpei-GER_." Gunpei rolled the window down. "Hey, everyone, we're here! Where can I park?"

**Hail, hail, the _Shinkenger VS Go-onger_ gang are here! Let's get the party started!**


	2. Here Kitty

**Shinken Reunion Party, Let's Go On! Chapter 2**

**Now that the Go-ongers have arrived at the Shiba house, things should get really interesting. Before the party starts, however... Tokyo, we have a problem, and its name is Momoko.**

**After about 75% of the way through this chapter, I went back to the previous chapter and stuck in one detail that I hadn't originally included, but given how this chapter opens, definitely needed to be included. It involves Ren and what he brings first to the Sutos' villa, and then to the Shiba house.**

**_Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Engine Sentai Go-onger_, and all related references and characters are the property of Toei of Japan. _Wii Sports Resort_ is the property of Nintendo. No infringement is intended or implied.**

**Chapter 2: Here Kitty**

One by one, the Go-ongers debarked from the Ginjiro-go. The Shinkengers greeted them enthusiastically, exchanging handshakes and shoulder pats. Saki presented the cake that she had made for the party, the top of which sported a merging of the Go-onger and Shinkenger logos. Ren's cooler contained more than enough cups of baked egg custard to go around, and the Suto siblings had dug into their stashes of Sucre's Luxurious Hyper Cream puddings to bring plenty for everyone. A quartet of _kuroko_ took the treats from the Go-ongers and brought them into the mansion.

Sousuke held a fist out to Takeru. "Heya, Takeru!"

Takeru extended his own fist to bump it against Sousuke's and nodded. "Greetings, Sousuke. Nice to see you again." Addressing the Go-ongers, he said, "Nice to see all of you again. Welcome to the Shiba house. The _kuroko_ will see you to your rooms for the weekend."

"I'll need help with my suitcases," piped up Miu.

"With all the stuff she brought," joked Hiroto, "are you sure you have enough people to handle it?"

"_Ani_…" Miu pouted.

"Don't worry about it," said Chiaki cheerily. "The _kuroko-chan-tachi_ can handle anything."

"I'll help out," added Sousuke, ignoring Hiroto's wary glance at him.

A group of _kuroko_ streamed from the house to assist the Go-ongers with their luggage, and began to escort the Go-ongers into the mansion. The Shinkengers followed closely behind.

o-o-o-o-o

Kaoru went to her room and was surprised to find the door slightly open. "Oh no," she said. She poked her head inside. "Momoko?" She entered her room and began to look around frantically. "Momoko!"

"What is the matter, _Hime_?" asked Tanba.

"Momoko seems to have escaped. Will you let everyone know to look for her?" asked Kaoru.

"Yes, _Hime_." Tanba went to look for Hikoma and Takeru as Kaoru wrung her hands with worry.

o-o-o-o-o

Hiroto stepped out of his room to survey his surroundings. He had asked the _kuroko_ if he could take a room either directly across from or next to Miu's, and they had obliged, placing his room next to hers.

Takeru came up to Hiroto. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything's fine. You have a very nice house." At that moment, the door across from Hiroto's slid open, and Sousuke stepped out.

"Hey, Takeru, where's your bathroom?" asked Sousuke.

"Nearest one is around the corner, three doors down, on your right." After Sousuke took off, Takeru turned his attention back to Hiroto and said, "Sorry. But yeah, thanks. I hope you find your accommodations suitable."

Hiroto nodded and grinned; he could keep a better eye on both Sousuke and Miu now. "They're perfect, thanks. Better than I expected."

"Very good. Oh, by the way, I just found out from my mother..."

o-o-o-o-o

Kotoha stepped inside her room. "You were right, Chiaki. It is how I left it."

Chiaki followed, taking Kotoha's backpack from the _kuroko_. "Brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it?" He slid the door behind him after the _kuroko_ had left. He set the backpack down and held his arms out. "Come here," he said gently.

Kotoha crossed over to Chiaki and let him gather her into his arms. She stood up on tiptoe and hugged him tightly. "Oh, are we really here again, at _Tono-sama's_ house?" she asked rhetorically.

Chiaki turned his head and gently kissed Kotoha's temple. "Yeah, we are. One difference, though; I don't think we could have done this back then." He looked lovingly at her before he leaned in and gave her a long, sweet kiss.

Kotoha giggled right before Chiaki's lips met hers, knowing that, a year ago, Takeru, and perhaps Ryunosuke, would probably have thrown a fit had they witnessed Chiaki and herself as they were at that moment. She lost herself in the sensation of Chiaki's lips caressing hers, gently stroking the sides and nape of his neck. When they finally parted, she leaned her head against his chest and sighed gently, listening to his heartbeat, as he ran his fingertips through her soft raven locks. "I could stay like this forever," she whispered.

"Yeah, me too." Chiaki tightened his arms around Kotoha, closing his eyes as he touched his cheek gently to her head.

A knock sounded from outside the room. Kotoha carefully peeked around Chiaki and asked, "Who is it?"

Mako's voice called, "It's me." Kotoha reluctantly pulled away from Chiaki to go slide the door open. Mako stuck her head inside the room. Seeing Chiaki and Kotoha both looking slightly flushed, she smiled and said, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Chiaki and Kotoha exchanged knowing looks before Chiaki asked, "What's going on, _Nee-san_?"

"_Kaoru-sama's_ cat has escaped from her room. We need to look for her."

o-o-o-o-o

Genta slid the door to his room open and stepped into the hallway. He was about to head for the courtyard when he spotted a small white cat with brownish ears at the end of the hall. He gulped nervously. Even though it had been well over a year and a half since his harrowing body switch experience, the sight of cats still put him on edge. The cat padded over to Genta and looked up at him curiously. "Um, hi kitty," he managed to say. He squatted to get a closer look at the creature, reaching out cautiously to pet it. The cat's nose perked up as Genta's hand came near, and it sniffed his fingers briefly before it began to lick them. Genta smirked. "You're not such a bad little thing, are you?" Suddenly, the cat chomped onto Genta's index finger. Genta let out a scream that sent the cat running screeching away from him, its paws scrabbling the hardwood floor as it tried to turn the corner, and Ryunosuke, Saki, Ren, and a couple of _kuroko_ running towards him.

"Genta! What in the world are you screaming about?" demanded Ryunosuke.

Genta pointed frantically down the hall towards where the cat had run. "Who let that cat in here?" he demanded.

"Was it a white cat with light brown ears?" asked Ryunosuke. "That's _Momoko-chan_. She got out of _Hime-sama's_ room."

"I'd heard that _Hime_ had brought her cat with her. Anyway, that little beast bit me!"

"She probably smelled fish on your hands," said Ren. "She's probably hungry."

"Poor kitty. We should find her and get her fed," added Saki.

"Anyway, we at least know she came by this way," said Ryunosuke.

"Hello! She bit me!" cried Genta.

Ren came up to Genta. "Show me," he said. When Genta held up his index finger, Ren examined it. "It's not bad at all; she didn't break the skin. You'll live." He smiled.

"It still hurts!"

"Never mind that for now," said Ryunosuke. "We have to find _Momoko-chan_. Let's go." Ryunosuke sprinted down the hall, with everyone else behind him.

"Hey! What about me?" whined Genta.

Saki, followed by one of the _kuroko_, turned around, jogged back to Genta, and tugged his cheeks upward. "Smile, smile." The _kuroko_ took out an adhesive bandage, wrapped it around Genta's finger, and bowed. Saki and the _kuroko_ turned to rejoin the search party.

"Man!" Genta pouted as he looked at his now-bandaged finger. He sighed and headed for the bathroom to wash his hands.

o-o-o-o-o

As Hanto looked around his room, marveling at the architecture, he caught a glimpse, out of the corner of his eye, of something outside his door. He turned to see Momoko sitting in the hallway. "Hello there, kitty." Hanto slowly approached the cat, who looked up at him inquisitively, and gently picked her up. "Where did you come from?" He stroked Momoko under the chin. She closed her eyes and began to purr.

Gunpei came out of his room. "Isn't this house grand?" He noticed Momoko in Hanto's hands. "Where did that cat come from?"

"I don't know. It just appeared outside my door." asked Hanto. "She's cute, isn't she?"

At that moment, Kaoru, Tanba, Hikoma, and Takeru appeared at the end of the hall. "Momoko!" said Kaoru excitedly. She rushed forward with her hands outstretched. "You found Momoko! Thank you!"

_Wow, she's cute_, thought Hanto. He handed Momoko to Kaoru. "You're welcome."

Kaoru looked down at Momoko. "You naughty girl," she chided gently. "You couldn't wait for me to get you some food? Come on." Momoko mewed as if to say, "I'm sorry." Kaoru smiled. "Oh, I can't stay mad at you." She looked up at Hanto and said, "Thank you again." She turned and headed back the way she had come, with Tanba on her heels.

"Thanks for finding Momoko," said Takeru with a nod. He turned to follow Kaoru and Tanba. Hikoma, smiling, nodded at Hanto and Gunpei before following Takeru.

"Who was that?" Hanto asked Gunpei. "That cute girl."

"Beats me."

"I'll go find out." Hanto sprinted in the direction that Kaoru, Tanba, Takeru, and Hikoma had gone.

o-o-o-o-o

With everyone unpacked and settled into their rooms for the weekend, Momoko contentedly nibbling on a plate of scrap meat and fish, and a bell placed on the door to Kaoru's room to alert the _kuroko_ should Momoko escape once again, the party was able to finally get under way.

Gunpei stepped out of the house and onto the porch. "Wow, this place is fantastic!" He looked over at Hiroto and Miu, who had just come onto the porch just before him. "Pretty nice set-up they have here, don't you think?"

Hiroto nodded. "Very nice." He looked out at the courtyard, where almost everyone had gathered. Ren had his notebook out and was drawing a picture of DaiGoyou as he floated next to Genta's cart. Genta, now apparently over his encounter with Momoko, was putting finishing touches on his trays of sushi on the buffet tables. Mako and Kotoha were watching Chiaki, Ryunosuke, Saki, and Sousuke playing _Wii Sports Resort _in the gazebo.

Takeru and Hikoma came out onto the porch. Hikoma surveyed the tableau, smiling broadly. "It feels wonderful to have this party here tonight. I never thought that I would miss everyone so much."

"Yeah, me neither." Takeru turned to Gunpei. "Where's your friend Hanto? I don't see him anywhere."

"I have no idea, but it wouldn't surprise me if he somehow managed to get himself in trouble. Again." The sound of Hanto screaming shattered the party atmosphere. "And he's just proved me right." Gunpei winced and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Everyone watched as Hanto scrambled into the courtyard from inside the house, chased by Tanba, who was followed by Kaoru. "Do you know who this is? You will not throw yourself so boorishly at– " Tanba's words were cut off by Kaoru catching up to him and smacking him on the head with a large paper fan.

"Tanba, that's enough!" Kaoru said indignantly. "Behave yourself, or I'll see to it that you're locked up for the rest of the night." She stepped around Tanba to see to Hanto, who was now sprawled on the grass, looking fearfully up at Tanba. Her expression significantly softened, she said, "Are you okay? Please forgive Tanba. He can be a bit… over-protective of me. I'm Kaoru, Takeru's mother."

"M-mother?" stuttered Hanto.

"MOTHER?" exclaimed all the Go-ongers.

Takeru rolled his eyes. "Let me explain…" he began.

**Admittedly, I hadn't thought about mentioning Momoko until Hallwings asked me about the cat that I had written Kaoru as having in "I Like Your Type," so I decided to give her a mention. What I hadn't anticipated was that an entire chapter would be more or less written about her little misadventure in the Shiba House! Hope you had fun reading it as much as I did writing it! ^_^**


	3. Ah! My Princess

**Shinken Reunion Party, Let's Go On! Chapter 3**

**Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed!**

**In this chapter, a reference is made to a singer named Jero. Born Jerome Charles White, Jr. in Pittsburgh, PA of African-American and Japanese descent, Jero is the first black enka singer in Japanese music history. Enka is a genre of Japanese music that, in a contemporary context, can be simplistically defined as sentimental ballad music. I became a fan of Jero's in 2009, a year after the release of his first single, "Umiyuki."**

**Chiaki has a line in this chapter that is a bit of an homage to Shogo Suzuki's involvement in the J-rock band project Cocoa Otoko. (pronounced KO-ko-ah O-to-ko, and the period _is_ part of the band's name), born from the Kansai Telecasting TV show _Ikemendel no Housoku_. **

**Disclaimer: **_**Samurai Sentai Shinkenger**_**, **_**Engine Sentai Go-onger**_**, and all related references and characters are the property of Toei of Japan, **_**Wii Sports Resort**_** is the property of Nintendo, and "Eisa" is the property of Japan Victor Corporation. "Smile X Smile," "Yume no Tsubasa," "Nadeshiko Shinken Hana," and "Hannari Meccha Bushido Girl" are the property of Columbia Music Entertainment. No infringement is intended or implied.**

**Chapter 3: Ah! My Princess**

"So let me get this straight," said Ren. "You're not a Shiba by birth, but you were adopted by the Shiba family?"

Takeru nodded.

"So wouldn't that make _Kaoru-sama_ your sister?" asked Saki.

"No, because _Hime-sama_ is the 18th head of the Shiba family," answered Ryunosuke. "She was the one who adopted _Tono_ so he could officially be the 19th head of the Shiba family."

"I see," said Ren, his eyes bright with fascination.

Hiroto nodded. "That's very interesting."

"But you're older than Kaoru, aren't you? How can she adopt you when you're older than she is?" asked Sousuke, scratching his head.

Takeru sighed in resignation. "Let's just say that Mother did what she had to do because the situation was desperate at the time. If she hadn't, we might not be gathered here tonight. So let's all enjoy the evening, shall we?"

o-o-o-o-o

The confusion over Kaoru being Takeru's adoptive mother was soon forgotten in the merriment of the party activities. Following the lavish buffet that had been laid out, everyone scattered across the lawn to partake in various activities. Takeru was content to sit with Hikoma and Tanba and watch everyone have fun, and they were soon joined by Sousuke. Hanto was chatting with Ren, Mako, and Kaoru, who seemed fairly receptive to Hanto's attention towards her, while Mako was amazed by Ren's cooking abilities and the fact that he actually enjoyed playing the part of "mother" to his teammates. Ryunosuke, Gunpei, and Genta were all trying to outdo one another in _Wii Sports Resort_. Hiroto had brought his guitar and regaled Miu, Saki, Chiaki, and Kotoha with some of his own songs.

"_Hiroto-san_, that was wonderful," marveled Kotoha.

"Thank you." Hiroto nodded.

"Man," added Chiaki, "I'd love to be able to play the guitar. It would be so freakin' cool."

Saki and Miu had been whispering conspiratorially during the other three's conversation. Saki turned to Kotoha and whispered in her ear. Kotoha nodded and giggled.

"Chiaki, may Saki and I borrow Kotoha for a little while?" asked Miu.

Kotoha looked at Chiaki, who shrugged and said, "Go ahead. I'll be okay." He pecked Kotoha on the cheek and watched Miu and Saki lead her away. "Don't stay away too long," he called.

Miu and Saki brought Kotoha over to where Mako, Kaoru, Hanto and Ren were chatting. After a brief moment of whispering between all five girls, Mako and Kaoru excused themselves and joined the others, and they all ran giggling into the mansion.

"Wonder what that's about?" asked Hanto. "I was enjoying talking to Kaoru, too."

"Maybe they just need some girl time." Ren tipped his head towards the gazebo, where Chiaki had gone, leaving Hiroto to go join Takeru and his group. "Let's just go play some games with the others, shall we?"

o-o-o-o-o

Chiaki had been playing _Wii Sports Resort _with Ryunosuke, Gunpei, and Hanto for a good while before he looked at his watch. _She's been gone quite a long time_, he thought. "Hey," said, poking Hanto in the arm with his controller. "the girls haven't come back, have they?"

"Not for a while," answered Hanto. He looked around. "I wonder what's taking them so long?"

Ryunosuke suddenly looked worried. "Chiaki, you don't suppose…?"

Gunpei's eyes widened in concern. "Don't suppose what?" Ryunosuke explained to Gunpei what had happened when he and Genta had to rescue several young women from Oinogare and Shitari.

Chiaki pursed his lips in thought, then shook his head. "I don't know, but I don't think anything bad could have happened. Remember, the house has a protection seal on it."

"True, but what if they left the house for something and something happened to them?" asked Gunpei.

Chiaki answered Gunpei with a question of his own. "Why would they need to leave the house?"

"Not only that, but don't you think they would have told someone they were leaving?" added Hanto.

Ryunosuke frowned. "I don't like this." He called to Takeru, "_Tono!_"

Takeru looked over from where he was sitting with Sousuke and Hiroto and called back, "Ryunosuke! What's going on?"

"Have you seen any of the girls?"

Takeru looked around. _That's odd. Where_ are _the girls?_ He got up from his seat to better survey the courtyard; aside from the quartet looking over at him, and Sousuke, Hiroto, Hikoma, and Tanba sitting with him, Ren was at Genta's sushi cart, scribbling in his notebook as Genta was showing him the basics of pressing sushi. Everyone with a Y chromosome was present, but no one without one was anywhere in sight. Before Takeru could act, the lights on the back porch dimmed. "What in the world?" _Damn it, how? The house is protected! And my Shodophone's inside. Not good._ He assumed a fighting stance, and the other boys rushed to join him, readying themselves for combat as well. "Show yourself!" bellowed Takeru.

All of a sudden, the _kuroko_ began to scurry onto the porch, carrying banners and backdrops. Takeru's brow furrowed in confusion. One of the porch lights came on, acting as a spotlight on Kaoru, who had suddenly appeared. "Good evening, Shinkengers and honored guests," she announced. "Tonight, we have a special treat for you. Please give a warm welcome to a group that is making their debut today, Go-on Shinken Princess." She motioned towards where the porch lights came on over where the _kuroko_ were holding up a curtain. One _kuroko_ pressed a button on a small sound system as the others holding up the curtain ran off to reveal four girls in pink frilly outfits and white stiletto heels standing with their backs to the courtyard. As the music began, the Go-onger boys were the first to relax their stances, and they convinced their Shinkenger counterparts to do the same.

The girls turned around and introduced themselves:

"In charge of the Go-ongers' smiles, I'm Saki!"

"In charge of the Go-on Wings' loveliness, I'm Miu!"

"In charge of the Shinkengers' cuteness, we're Mako and Kotoha!"

"But _Kaoru-sama_ is the cutest one of all!" cheered the four girls on stage, gesturing towards a blushing Kaoru. "Tonight, the Go-on and Shinken girls come together to bring you… the Go-on Shinken Princess rap!"

Go-on Shinken Princess began to sing, with Kaoru standing off to the side, clapping in time to the music. Hiroto began to break dance, and Gunpei began to do a shimmying dance while twirling his finger in the air that made all the boys, including Takeru, double up laughing. "What? What's so funny?" Gunpei demanded, looking to each of the others.

Hanto was laughing so hard that was wiping tears from his eyes. "I still don't know... where you... where you learned to dance like that!" he choked out between fits of laughter.

"You call that dancing? Watch this!" announced Ryunosuke. He began to do a kabuki dance that fit surprisingly well with the music. Genta began to mimic Ryunosuke's movements. Gunpei, not to be outdone, continued to do his dance.

"Hey, _Take-chan_," called Genta, "why aren't you dancing? Come on!"

"I don't dance," Takeru shot back, content to just watch the girls performing. He was especially content that Kaoru was a part of the group, even if, given her typical reserved demeanor, all she was doing serving as the emcee. He chuckled as Genta and Ryunosuke each grabbed Ren by one arm and dragged him over to join them in their dance.

Meanwhile, Sousuke's eyes were pinned to Miu as he bobbed his head to the beat. He had thought that Miu was cute both times he had seen the original incarnation of the idol group, but tonight, Miu seemed extra sparkly to him. _Why can't I take my eyes off her?_, he thought. _And w__hy can't I stop thinking about her tonight?_

Chiaki's heart skipped several beats as he watched Kotoha singing and dancing, gamely keeping up with the other girls. The closest thing to dancing that he had seen her do before tonight was her _Tsuchikemuri no Mai_, her Dance of the Dust Clouds attack, and he was completely captivated by the sight of her with golden bows in her hair and wearing one of Miu's pink minidresses, thigh-high socks, and white stiletto heels.

After the opening song, Kaoru announced that each girl would perform a solo. Saki was up first with "Smile x Smile." The sprightly tune was so infectious that even Takeru couldn't help but smile, bob his head from side to side, and tap his foot in time to the music, something that escaped everyone's attention until Genta pointed it out. Despite the ribbing that followed, particularly from Genta, Chiaki, and Sousuke, a blushing Takeru continued to groove along with the music.

During Miu's song, "Yume no Tsubasa," Sousuke felt his heartbeat accelerating. Even though he had heard the song before, he felt that she was singing the words directly to him, and he stood spellbound during her performance. At least a couple of times during the song, he could have sworn that Miu was looking right at him and smiling. Hiroto took note of the besotted look on Sousuke's face and began to worry.

Mako's "Nadeshiko Shinken Hana," and Kotoha's "Hannari Meccha Bushido Girl" made all the Shinkenger boys grin with pride, because the lyrics of both described each girl to a T. Genta nudged Takeru and asked, "You think that Mako will someday see that dream of hers fulfilled?"

"I sure hope so," answered Takeru. "Aside from her cooking, she's got all the good qualities that make her a good wife and mother."

"She and I were talking about that earlier," Ren said. "It just might be possible that I could perhaps teach her a thing or two about cooking. Of course, it'll mostly involve eggs, but it would be a start."

"Provided that she lets you teach her," said Takeru with a smirk. "She's also quite the headstrong one."

During Kotoha's song, Chiaki couldn't keep the smile off his face as he watched her. _You_ are _indeed elegant, Kotoha_, he thought, taking in the words of the song. _Elegant, beautiful, strong, and pure. How the hell did I get so lucky? _Meanwhile, Gunpei looked enviously at Chiaki and thought, _That lucky bastard. How in the world did a guy like him win over a cutie like_ Kotoha-chan_?_

Just when it seemed that the mini-concert was over, Kaoru surprised the boys by taking the stage to sing a cover of Jero's "Eisa." As soon as she took center stage, Tanba stood up to protest, but Hikoma yanked him back down and said sternly, "You need to relax and let Kaoru enjoy herself for once."

Because she was unaccustomed to Western clothes, Kaoru performed in the pink and peach-hued satin kimono that she had been wearing. During the performance, Ren looked over at Hanto, who had been taking pictures of the group with his cell phone. He had noticed that Hanto did take pictures of the four other girls, but now, Hanto was furiously snapping away. Amused, Ren nudged Takeru and said, "I think Hanto likes your mother."

Takeru looked over at Hanto, and, sure enough, Hanto's camera was fixed on Kaoru's face. He wondered how Kaoru would react if she knew of Hanto's interest in her, or if she even knew at all. During their first meeting, Hanto had struck him as a bit flighty; he had introduced himself to Mako at the first opportunity that he could, then almost as quickly, he was babbling to Kotoha about wanting to be a part-time _kuroko_. Mako's obvious disinterest in Hanto as potential husband material and Kotoha's relationship with Chiaki effectively torpedoed Hanto's romantic interest in both, which was actually reassuring to Takeru. What was not reassuring to him, though, was the friendly interaction between Kaoru and Hanto after Kaoru had told Tanba to back off. Takeru wondered if he should say something to Hanto, but he decided to err on the side of caution and hospitality and keep quiet.

At the conclusion of Kaoru's solo, all five girls joined for a redux of the "Go-on Shinken Princess Rap" before they waved to the boys, all of whom were applauding and cheering wildly, and skipped off into the house. After a brief moment, they all returned to the porch; Mako, Saki, Kotoha, and Miu had swapped their high heels for more comfortable shoes and were wearing jackets and sweaters over their stage costumes. Chiaki ran up and lifted Kotoha up and off the porch, laughing as he spun her around. "You were awesome!" he gushed as he set her down.

"You really think so?" asked Kotoha.

"Uh-huh," answered Chiaki. He kissed Kotoha, ignoring the catcalls and scandalized gasps from the group.

Hikoma applauded enthusiastically. "Splendid performance, all of you!" he said, looking warmly to each of the girls. "You are all very talented!"

Hiroto approached the stage. "What a nice surprise you girls planned for us." He turned to Kaoru and bowed. "_Kaoru-sama_, I had no idea that you were such a wonderful singer."

Kaoru smiled, a blush tinting her cheeks. "I'm trying to expand my horizons some, and I thought, 'why not try singing?'."

"You're quite full of surprises, Mother," added a smiling Takeru, who began to wonder that if Kaoru had decided to take up a new hobby, then perhaps he himself could do the same.

"I, too, am surprised," added Tanba.

Hanto ran up and grasped Kaoru's right hand in both of his, causing Takeru to bristle slightly, though he himself stopped Tanba from taking action against Hanto by thrusting his arm out like a crossing gate in front of the older man, shaking his head, and mouthing, "Don't."

"_Kaoru-chan_, you were wonderful!" Hanto beamed.

The blush on Kaoru's face spread. "Thank you, Hanto. I'm glad you liked my singing."

"You ladies were _tres bien! Magnifique!_" cried Genta.

"I guess he enjoyed it... so did I! I couldn't stop dancing!" said Gunpei proudly.

"What dancing? That goofy squirming looked more like you were dying to go to the bathroom," retorted Ryunosuke, causing Gunpei to get up in his face and begin arguing with him.

Mako and Saki jumped off the porch and pushed themselves between Gunpei and Ryunosuke, with Ren, Hiroto, and Genta helping to pull the quarreling parties apart. "Come on, you two, let's break it up," Mako commanded.

Meanwhile, Sousuke called softly, "Miu, can I see you for a moment?"

Miu looked puzzled, but she climbed down from the porch. "What is it?" she asked, pulling her flight jacket tighter around herself.

Sousuke looked over at everyone else; the altercation between Gunpei and Ryunosuke had been successfully defused, and everyone was talking and laughing merrily once more. "Come on," said Sousuke, putting a hand on Miu's back to guide her to the end of the porch.

"Sousuke," asked Miu insistently, putting her hands on her hips, "what is it?"

**To all the Sousuke/Miu shippers: I know! I'm evil for ending the chapter here! I'd actually written more, but since the title of this chapter is "Ah! My Princess," I decided not to go much beyond what I have here, especially since I feel that it goes a bit too far off the path I'd originally intended. I may include elements of it in the next chapter.**

**Sousuke/Miu in the context of this story is making Hiroto a real challenge to write because I really love the guy, but the protective big brother in him could easily tip him to look like a jerk when it comes to dealing with the guy who's interested in his sister. It's also making Sousuke somewhat difficult for me to write as well... but I'll get it all sorted out somehow. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Night Moves

**Shinken Reunion Party, Let's Go On! Chapter 4**

**Many thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! I love your feedback!**

**This chapter is for the Sousuke/Miu and Chiaki/Kotoha fans! Because of how one of the scenes turned out, I jacked the story rating up a notch just to be safe. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised at myself for doing it, but oh well. Hope y'all like it.**

**In my fic "I Like Your Type," Chiaki brought Kotoha a couple of presents, one of which was a plush bear which she has since named _Kuroba-kuma._ I got the name from the Japanese phonetic pronounciation of "clover." The clover refers to the other present that Chiaki brought.**

_**Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Engine Sentai Go-onger**_**, and all characters and references therein are the property of Toei of Japan. I am just a fan who loves both series; please don't sue me!**

**Chapter 4: Night Moves**

Sousuke felt himself becoming nervous. "Well, um, I thought you were great tonight. I always like watching you girls perform."

"Thank you," said Miu. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, she bit her lip and looked down meekly.

"Um, you, uh, l-look great," Sousuke stammered.

"Thank you." Miu pretended to inspect her manicured nails in hopes that Sousuke couldn't see her blushing.

Sousuke took a deep breath. "Miu," he breathed. He grabbed her hands in both of his, causing her to look up at him.

"Sousuke?" Miu saw nervousness and desire storming in Sousuke's eyes and felt her heartbeat speeding up as his face began to draw nearer to hers. She had long since accepted that she was attracted to him, and that he seemed oblivious to how she felt, so his sudden closeness made her both excited and frightened all at once. Miu's eyes began to shut as she inched her face closer to Sousuke's.

All of a sudden, Saki's voice shattered the moment. "Miu! Sousuke! We're taking a group picture! Come on!"

Miu's eyes snapped open and she looked around Sousuke and saw that everyone else had gathered on the porch, with Ren setting up a tripod with a digital camera facing them. _Oh my goodness, I hope they didn't see what I think was about to happen!_, she thought. "Come on, Sousuke," she said, turning Sousuke around and gently pushing him towards the porch.

Sousuke's heart was still racing like he was having a good day on the track, and he hoped his face wouldn't betray the tension he had just experienced. He stepped up onto the porch and positioned himself next to Hiroto.

Hiroto, noticing Sousuke standing next to him, leaned over slightly and muttered, "When Ren gets done here, may I see you for a moment?"

"Sure," Sousuke whispered back. Ren pressed the button on his camera and ran up to the porch to take his place with everyone. After the flash went off and everyone got a good look at the picture that Ren had taken, the party began to disperse.

As the others headed inside the mansion for the night, Hiroto remained outside until it was just him and Sousuke on the porch. Arms folded, Hiroto looked right at Sousuke and said calmly, "I couldn't help but notice that you were getting awfully cozy with Miu."

Sousuke's face reddened and he found himself unable to put together hiragana, katakana, Roman letters, or any other characters to make any sort of comprehensible word. _Oh crap_, he thought, _is Hiroto going to kill me? I wonder if any other Red has died at the hands of one of his teammates?_

"Look," said Hiroto, "I can acknowledge that you feel something for Miu. She apparently feels something for you, too. Frankly, I'm not sure why, but you know that once she gets an idea into her head, it's pretty hard for her to let it go.

"She may be more cultured and fashion forward than many other girls, but when it comes to guys, she's still pretty naïve, and I worry about that because of that 'bad habit' of hers. If there's anything I hate more than those damned Gaiark, it's if Miu should get hurt in some way. I've been able to keep a lot of jerks away from her, but things are different with you because we're all supposed to be one team here. That may be why I'm having a hard time dealing with this. I know you're a hero for justice, but you're also one of the most reckless guys I've ever met. It may work in battle, but it doesn't instill much confidence in me as far as Miu's concerned."

Sousuke finally found his voice. "Hiroto, you know I'd never hurt Miu. I'd put my life on the line for her. Hell, I _have_ put my life on the line for her, and you know it. Okay, well, I'd do that for any one of you, but I hope you know what I mean. Maybe I've liked her all along and never really knew it until now. This is all new to me. I don't think I'd ever met someone who, um, intrigues me like Miu does." He scratched the back of his neck. "I promise you that I'll do my best to be a guy worthy of her. Really, I will. And it won't be because of what you'd do to me if I screw up; I do really… really care about her."

"Hmph." Hiroto looked unimpressed.

"Come on, Hiroto," begged Sousuke. "Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Why are _you_?" asked Hiroto.

"Because I love her, damn it!" Sousuke's eyes grew round as he realized what he had just admitted to Hiroto.

The corner of Hiroto's mouth turned up slightly and his gaze seemed to soften. "You're the first guy who's actually come right out and said it. Takes guts." He looked down for a minute before he gave Sousuke a friendly smack on the arm. "Just remember that if you ever hurt Miu, ever, I'll make you regret ever laying eyes on her," he said, still smirking as he stepped inside the mansion.

Sousuke felt his knees suddenly turn to liquid and he dropped to his butt on the porch. Panting, he thought, _Holy crap. Either Hiroto just gave me his approval, or he's just killed me and I'm just waiting to go to heaven. _Sousuke pinched himself and winced as he confirmed that Hiroto had indeed not murdered him. Climbing to his feet, he headed inside the mansion.

o-o-o-o-o

Saki was brushing her hair when she heard a knock on her door. Wrapping her robe around herself, she asked, "Who is it?"

"Saki, it's me. I need to talk to you."

Saki got up and crossed to the door. When she opened it, Miu was on the other side, still in her G3 Princess stage costume. "Miu? What's wrong?"

Miu walked into Saki's room, wringing her hands. "Please shut the door." Once Saki complied, Miu turned to her and asked, "Did you see what happened with Sousuke and me right before you called us over for the group picture?"

"I saw you and Sousuke talking and holding hands," answered Saki innocently.

Miu bit her lip. "Saki, he was about to kiss me, and I was about to let him."

Saki's eyes widened. "Seriously? How wonderful! I knew that he liked you! But why are you upset about that?"

"Because I know that _Ani's_ going to be upset. I think he already is," Miu said. "I don't want to upset him, but…"

Saki grabbed Miu by the arms. "Miu, look at me. You can't keep sacrificing the things that make you smile because you think that _Hiroto-san_ won't approve. He may be your older brother, but he's not the boss of you. You're normally a headstrong person and you do a lot of things without a thought about what _Hiroto-san_ might think. Why should admitting your feelings to Sousuke be any different, especially now that you know that he feels the same way? And I'm sure _Hiroto-san's_ done a few things that you weren't happy about, right?"

"Yes, but what if– "

"Don't worry what _Hiroto-san_ might think. He may be upset in the beginning, but if he really loves you, he'll hopefully at least respect how you feel." Saki gave Miu a hug. "Now smile. I'm sure that everything will work out fine."

Miu smiled nervously. "Thank you, Saki. How do you do it?"

"How do I do what?"

"Know the right thing to say," answered Miu. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and slid the door open. "Good night." She stepped into the hallway.

"Good night, Miu," called Saki. "Good luck."

o-o-o-o-o

Kotoha was about to enter her room when Chiaki put his hand over hers on the door. "Hey, want to stay with me in my room tonight?" he asked, a crooked grin on his face.

Kotoha looked at Chiaki. "Are you talking about… um…?" she asked nervously.

"What? No, no, I know you're not ready for that. I just, you know, thought that it'd be nice for us to just fall asleep in each other's arms. I've actually been dreaming of that for the longest time. And we'd just sleep. We won't do anything that you don't want to do. What do you think?"

Kotoha looked down for a second, looked back up at Chiaki, then leaned towards him, pressing a whisper-soft kiss to his lips. "Let me get changed and washed up, and I'll meet you in your room." She smiled at Chiaki before she stepped inside her room and shut the door.

Chiaki felt like he was floating on air as he practically skipped to his room. After changing into his pajamas and brushing his teeth, he waited anxiously for Kotoha, pacing back and forth across his room. When, after what seemed like eons, she showed up, dressed in her yellow floral-print pajamas, Chiaki embraced her tightly. "Finally, it's just you and me," he sighed, sliding the door shut.

Kotoha pulled back slightly to look into Chiaki's eyes. She cradled his face in her hands, her thumbs softly resting on his cheeks. "So it is."

Chiaki leaned forward, capturing Kotoha's lips with his. He kissed her deeply, tentatively extending the tip of his tongue to taste her lips for a brief moment. He had never used his tongue when he had kissed her before, and he hoped that she wouldn't be too unnerved by his boldness. When Kotoha didn't pull away from him in horror, he French kissed her once more. She tasted like a combination of watermelon lip gloss and mint and was sweeter than anything Chiaki had ever tasted before.

Kotoha shuddered slightly when Chiaki had French kissed her. She'd had no idea that people actually kissed that way, but because it was Chiaki, she figured that it couldn't be a bad thing. She responded in kind, a soft moan escaping from her throat as her tongue engaged his. Time seemed to stand still as Chiaki and Kotoha remained liplocked, and only when the need for air was practically screaming in both their heads did they finally separate, both of them flushed and breathless.

"Mmm. That was nice," gasped Chiaki. He rested his forehead gently against Kotoha's as he tried to regain his breath.

"I liked that," said Kotoha, "I liked that a lot." Breathing hard, she traced her fingertips under the fringe of reddish hair at the top of the nape of his neck.

Chiaki took both of Kotoha's hands in his and led her to his tatami. Dropping to his knees, he gently tugged her down with him and guided her under his blanket. Once he and Kotoha were lying together under the blanket, Chiaki drew her body to his. "Oh yeah," he sighed.

"Mm-hmm," murmured Kotoha, circling her arms around Chiaki. "Is this what you hoped it would be?"

"Better." Chiaki rolled their bodies so that he lay on his back with Kotoha sprawled across the left side of his body, her left leg astride his. "I love you, Kotoha."

"I love you, too, Chiaki." She kissed Chiaki softly once more, taking the initiative to tease his lips with the tip of her tongue as she did so.

Kotoha's kiss awakened something in Chiaki, and, without parting his lips from hers, he rolled their bodies over slowly once more, so that he was now on top of her. His heart pounded in his chest as he gazed upon her. Kotoha's curly black hair was fanned out slightly over the pillow, giving a somewhat feral edge to the innocence on her face. _Damn, but I want her so much_. Chiaki descended upon her once more, beginning with a tender kiss first on her lips, then on her cheek, before he traveled to the smooth skin of her neck, trailing kisses all the way. "If you want me to stop, just tell me, okay?" he whispered.

Kotoha's eyes closed in ecstasy. She arched her back, sighing rapturously as Chiaki's lips sent shivers racing through her body each time they swept over her neck. Her hands clutched onto the back of his head as she felt a strange tingling growing in the space between the tops of her thighs. Kotoha pressed her knees together in response to the unfamiliar sensation; though it felt strangely nice, she wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a normal reaction to what Chiaki was doing to her. "Chiaki," she whispered.

Chiaki raised his head slightly. "Hmm?"

Kotoha tipped her head to look into Chiaki's eyes. "You said that I should tell you if you should stop. I, um, kind of don't want you to, but maybe we-we should."

Chiaki bit his lip. "You're right." He smiled at Kotoha before he rolled himself off of her. Pulling her to lay across his left side once more, he reached up to stroke her face gently. "I'm sorry. I guess I kind of got carried away. I've just missed you so much is all."

Kotoha shook her head. "I understand. I missed you a lot, too. I miss you so much that when I go to bed, I hold _Kuroba-kuma-chan_ and pretend that he's you."

"Well, I'm here now, and I'm all yours," said Chiaki. "Hopefully, I'm better company than he is."

Kotoha giggled. "You're much better." She laid her head on Chiaki's shoulder as she hugged him. "I love you, Chiaki."

Chiaki gently kissed Kotoha's forehead. "I love you, Kotoha." He held onto her, sighing happily as they both succumbed to the beckoning of the sandman and drifted off to sleep.

o-o-o-o-o

Sousuke fidgeted as he stood outside of Miu's room. _Why am I finding this so damn difficult?_

"Sousuke?" Miu, her hands clasped in front of herself, approached Sousuke from behind, startling him.

"Miu!" breathed Sousuke. "Hi!" His heart began racing anew.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked quietly, hoping that he wouldn't see the nervousness on her face.

"Just, um, er, I got lost. This is a big house."

"You know, you're a terrible liar." Miu pointed at the door across from Hiroto's. "I know that's your room right there."

Sousuke's hand suddenly grabbed Miu's. "Miu, I..." He looked around nervously. "Come on." He led her outside to the porch.

"Sousuke, what are we doing out here?"

Sousuke looked at Miu. The inability to speak coherently took charge once more, and he was only able to stammer, "I... um... uh..."

Miu laid her hand on Sousuke's shoulder. "What's wrong? Won't you tell me?" Before she could say another word, Sousuke leaned over and planted a kiss awkwardly on her lips. Miu's eyes opened wide in surprise, then fluttered shut as Sousuke kissed her again, this time much more tenderly than the first. As Sousuke's hands stole about her waist, she grabbed his vest with both hands, tugging him to her. As she and Sousuke continued to exchange kisses, she could swear that she saw silver sparkles behind her eyelids, brighter than anything that she had ever seen.

Sousuke's heart felt like it was flying. Miu's lips were softer than anything that he'd felt in his life, and they tasted sweet. As much as he wanted to remain with his lips fastened to Miu's, something in his head told him to pull away, and he did so unwillingly. He stared at Miu, unsure of what to say to her.

Miu finally spoke. "Sousuke?"

Sousuke took a deep breath. "Miu, I finally realized it tonight," he blurted. "Why I haven't been able to look away from you, why I've had trouble speaking when you're near me, and why my heart is beating at mach speed right now. It's because I like you a lot, Miu, and I think you might feel the same way about me. Wait, that didn't come out right. Miu, I... I... I love you."

"Sousuke..." Miu's eyes were round. Suddenly, she grinned and said, "Took you long enough." She took in Sousuke's happily bewildered face before she took it in both hands and kissed him once more. "I love you, too, Sousuke Esumi," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him.

Sousuke held Miu tightly to him, closing his eyes. _I'm not imagining this, am I?,_ he thought. _Miu's actually here, in my arms, and she's just told me she loves me. Wow._ He pulled back slightly to look at Miu. "Do you really?"

"Yes, you silly boy, I do love you. I just wonder what _Ani's_ going to say about this."

Sousuke smiled. "Your _Ani_ seems to be okay with it. He and I talked earlier. You know, he loves you very much and he just wants you to be happy. So do I."

Miu broke into a wide smile. She hugged Sousuke once more before she kissed him again, one of many more kisses that she would share with him that night, from right there on the porch to when they finally made their way inside the mansion and bid each other good night, retiring to their respective rooms. Despite the late hour at which they finally got to bed, Sousuke and Miu were both so buoyed by the revelation of their feelings for one another that neither was able to fall asleep for hours afterward.

o-o-o-o-o

Mako had just come out of the bathroom and was headed back to her room when a light caught the corner of her eye. Curious, she followed the light to its source, the kitchen. Inside, Takeru, still dressed as he was for the party, sat at a table, sipping a cup of tea. Mako entered and took a seat across from him. "Hey."

"Hey," said Takeru. "Can't sleep?"

"I would ask the same of you. Want to talk about it?"

"Well, it's just…" Takeru peered into his teacup. "It was great to see that Mother was taking part in all the activity today, and how everyone has fully accepted her. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"I'm all right, thanks. Anyway, _Kaoru-sama_ is a very nice girl. I can't see how anyone could dislike her, unless maybe if they see Tanba as part of the package. What does this have to do with what's troubling you?"

Takeru set his teacup onto the saucer on the table. "You know how Tanba has been trying to convince Mother into an arranged marriage, and, of course, she's having none of that. Well, I think she may actually have someone interested in her, someone I would have never thought about, and I think that she may be interested in him, too."

"I see. Well, I know for sure that it's not Chiaki, and not Sousuke, either. Speaking of, did you see what was going on with him and Miu?"

"Yeah. He was actually going to kiss her, wasn't he? I thought that Hiroto was going to pop a vein in his head."

Mako snickered. "I only hope they can get things sorted out before things come to blows. I understand why Hiroto would be concerned, but he should let Miu make her own mistakes, if her apparently liking Sousuke is one of those mistakes. Anyway, I guess you noticed Hanto's interest in _Kaoru-sama_, too." She clasped her hands in front of her on the tabletop. When Takeru nodded, Mako asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know," admitted Takeru. "I've never had to deal with anything like this before. It kind of bugs me because about all Hanto has in common with Mother is that he's younger than me. He's kind of… would 'flaky' be too harsh a word?"

"Perhaps," replied Mako. "Hanto's definitely very capricious. He does tend to try a little too hard, but he seems like a nice boy. Anyway, you did say that _Kaoru-sama's_ not interested in getting married."

"I did."

"Then what's the problem?" Mako asked. "_Kaoru-sama's_ a big girl. Granted, she's been pretty sheltered for nearly all her life, but if she's interested in having Hanto as a friend, then I don't see the harm in it."

"Yes, but what if– " Takeru began.

"Takeru Shiba, you just shut your mouth." Mako waggled her finger at Takeru. "Nothing has happened yet with Hanto and _Kaoru-sama_. It's too soon to tell if anything will ever come from it, but there's no reason to be alarmed right now. Besides," she added, "I think that Hanto would have his hands full enough if he has to deal with Tanba looming over him."

Takeru couldn't suppress a grin as he chuckled, thinking about Tanba's earlier terrorizing of the poor boy. "Mako, when did you get good at relationships?" he asked.

"I wouldn't say that I'm good at them. I just call it as I see it," Mako replied simply. She smiled warmly as she rose from her seat and crossed over to where Takeru sat. Patting his shoulder gently, she said, "You're a good guy, Takeru. Everything will be fine. Quit worrying so much."

Takeru looked up at Mako. "Thanks," he said. "You know, I missed having you around to set me straight on things like this."

Mako nodded. "As much as I'm enjoying Hawaii, I do miss Japan, and especially being here with everyone. Now, go get some sleep. You'll make a terrible host if you're all sleepy and grouchy tomorrow. Good night." She exited the kitchen and started for her room.

Takeru drained the last of his tea and brought his empty teacup to the sink. As he ran the water to rinse out his teacup, he thought about Mako's words. _She's right. No use in worrying about something that may not even happen. _He set his teacup in the drying rack on the counter and headed out of the kitchen. As he headed for his room, he passed by Gunpei's room, where he heard voices coming from within:

"Hanto, she's just being friendly is all. You can't possibly think that she likes you like that."

"Well, what about you? I saw the look on your face when you saw _Kotoha-chan_ holding hands with Chiaki."

"Never mind that!"

"What do you mean, 'never mind that'? You actually thought _Kotoha-chan_ liked you during that time you guys were in Samurai World!"

"Well, she _was_ so nice… and so very cute, too. Hey! This isn't about me; it's about _you_ thinking that _Kaoru-chan_ likes _you_!"

"Both of you are just being silly." This voice was Ren's. "Gunpei, _Kotoha-chan's_ a very sweet and very cute girl, yes, but just because she was nice to you back then doesn't mean that she likes you like that. And that's especially true now, since she and Chiaki are obviously dating. And the same goes for you, Hanto. _Kaoru-sama_ is a very nice girl, but don't assume that you have the makings of love in bloom just because she's been friendly towards you."

Takeru smirked. _No wonder they call him "mother,"_ he thought. _He's almost like a male version of Mako. Almost; he's apparently a better cook._ Even though he still wondered what Kaoru thought of Hanto, Takeru no longer felt the anxiety from earlier, and after readying himself for bed, he laid down on his tatami and quickly fell into a peaceful slumber.

**Is there such a thing as too much Chiaki/Kotoha? Not in my book, there isn't! And to all the Sousuke/Miu fans, you're welcome. ^_^**


	5. Scenes of Domesticity

**Shinken Reunion Party, Let's Go On! Chapter 5**

**Many thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! I love your feedback!**

**Yep, I think the last chapter was worthy of a cold shower. ^^;;; I guess this chapter is kind of an "afterglow," for lack of a better term, since nothing really explicit took place, or more appropriately, the morning after... quite literally.**

**Spam is a trademark of Hormel Foods Corporation.**

_**Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Engine Sentai Go-onger**_**, and all characters and references therein are the property of Toei of Japan. I am just a fan who loves both series; please don't sue me!**

**Chapter 5: Scenes of Domesticity**

Takeru sat up on his tatami and sniffed. _What on Earth is that delicious smell?_ Throwing aside his blanket, he jumped to his feet and hurried from his room to the kitchen.

Ryunosuke, fresh from his morning jog, was already crouched outside of the kitchen, peeking through the slightly ajar door. When he sensed someone behind him, he turned around. "_Tono_," he whispered. "You're not going to believe this. Mako's cooking!"

"You're joking," Takeru whispered back.

"Well, she's got a little help in there. See for yourself."

Takeru took a peek into the kitchen and saw Mako standing at the stove with her apron on. She motioned to someone behind her to come over. "Like this?"

Ren peered over Mako's shoulder. "Yes, just like that. Now quickly, transfer the Spam to this plate. Good." He turned and called, "How's the rice?"

Genta's voice called, "It's almost ready."

Takeru blinked and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He looked at Ryunosuke. "Go get Chiaki and Kotoha. And hurry; they're going to want to see this."

"Yes, _Tono_." Ryunosuke raised himself to his full height and headed for Kotoha's room.

o-o-o-o-o

Miu was still lying on her tatami when she heard a soft knocking on her door. "Who is it?" she asked drowsily.

"Miu. Can I come in?"

Miu's heart began to pound. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "_Ani?_"

"Yes, it's me. Do you need a minute? I can come back."

Miu sat up, pulling her blanket up to her chin. "No, it's okay, come on in." Hiroto slid the door open and entered the room. Miu looked up at him nervously. "Good morning, _Ani_," she said, trying not to sound scared.

Hiroto sat down next to Miu on the floor. "Good morning, Miu." Upon seeing the look on Miu's face, he smiled warmly. "Relax," he said, holding his arms out to her. "You have nothing to worry about."

Miu's eyes welled up with tears borne from both fear and relief. "_Ani_," she begged, "I'm sorry if I upset you, but I can't help the way I feel about Sousuke. I love him." She clutched onto Hiroto, letting her tears spill onto his black T-shirt.

"Shhh." Hiroto held Miu gently, rubbing her back. "Don't cry. It's okay. I'm not mad at you, or Sousuke. Okay, look. I know I've been pretty hard on a lot of the guys that've wanted to get with you in the past, and I'm sorry if I may have been a bit overbearing in that regard. You know that I just worry about people who may only be interested in me, and especially you, just because of who we are or how much money we have. I guess I never thought that someone like Sousuke would come into the picture." Hiroto reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of tissue, which he handed to Miu. "He's the first guy that I can remember who's not concerned with our family name or our fortune. I can tell that he really cares about _you_, and I can't argue with that."

"Thank you, _Ani_." Miu dabbed at her eyes.

"I'll still kick his ass if he hurts you," said Hiroto matter-of-factly.

"You won't have to worry about that," said a voice from outside the room. Hiroto and Miu looked over towards the door to see Sousuke in the hallway. "Good morning, Miu. Hiroto."

Miu's face brightened. "Good morning, Sousuke," she said.

Hiroto nodded at Sousuke. "Good morning. Can you give us a minute?"

"No problem. I'll come back in a little bit. I want to see what's going on in the kitchen; something smells really good." Sousuke strutted off down the hall.

It was only then that Hiroto detected the fragrance of cured meat being cooked. "He's right; something _does_ smell good. Maybe I'll go check it out, too." He smiled at Miu. "Time to get up and face the day." He gave Miu a quick kiss on the forehead before he stood up to leave.

"_Ani_," said Miu, "I love you. And thank you."

"Anytime. I love you, too."

o-o-o-o-o

Chiaki awoke to his left arm feeling full of pins and needles. He looked to his left, and, at the sight of Kotoha still sleeping on his shoulder, he decided that the prickly feeling was merely a minor inconvenience. _I could get used to this_, he thought contentedly. Nevertheless, he shifted his arm slightly to give it some relief.

Kotoha stirred in her sleep. She hugged what she thought was _Kuroba-kuma_, but when she ascertained that what was in her arms was much heavier, much larger in girth, and much less fuzzy than the plush bear, she awoke with a start. Seeing that she was holding onto Chiaki, however, she sighed with relief. "Good morning, Chiaki," she said sleepily.

"Good morning, Kotoha," Chiaki said softly. He turned himself onto his side, grimacing slightly at the prickles still shooting through his left arm. Stroking Kotoha's arm, he asked, "Did you sleep well?"

Kotoha nodded. "I hadn't slept this well in a very long time." She giggled, one hand in front of her mouth. "I want to kiss you, but I should probably brush my teeth first. Actually, I'll do that and take my bath, then I'll kiss you good morning." She sat up and stretched.

"Mmm, sounds good," said Chiaki. "I should do that, too. But before that…" Chiaki sat up and embraced Kotoha. "We should do this again soon," he murmured, nuzzling her neck.

Kotoha sighed as she wrapped her arms around Chiaki. "Mm-hm," she agreed. "See you in a few minutes?"

"Yeah." Chiaki propped himself up on his hands, smiling lovingly as he watched Kotoha get up and move to the door. No sooner had she opened the door, however, than she came face to face with Ryunosuke.

Ryunosuke was about to rap on the door to Chiaki's room when he was surprised by the door sliding open and Kotoha exiting. "Kotoha? What are you…? Why are you…?"

Kotoha was equally startled. "Oh! Good morning, _Ryu-san_," she said, bowing to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Er, _Tono_ wants you to hurry to the kitchen. There's something he wants you to see."

"Oh, okay." Kotoha turned and headed for the kitchen.

Ryunosuke watched Kotoha leave, a concerned frown on his face. "Hey Chiaki," he asked, "Why was Kotoha in here?"

"That's none of your business. What do you want, anyway?" snapped Chiaki in response.

"Well, um, _Tono_ says to come to the kitchen. Hurry!" Ryunosuke ran back the way he had come.

"_Mou_…" Chiaki grumbled, kicking the blanket off of himself. _You're such a dork, Ryunosuke._ He pushed himself up and shuffled out of his room to the kitchen.

o-o-o-o-o

Hanto was headed down the hall to the kitchen when he collided with someone coming out of their room, knocking them down and back into the room. "Ouch." He turned to the person he'd bumped into to apologize and was horrified to see that it was Kaoru. "_Kaoru-chan!_ Oh, I'm sorry! Let me help you up!" He stepped into the room and held his hands out to her. "Are you all right?"

Kaoru took hold of Hanto's hands and let him bring her to her feet. "I'm fine, Hanto, thank you. No harm done." Momoko trotted up to her mistress. Upon seeing Hanto, she began to purr and rub her cheek against his ankle. Kaoru laughed. "Looks like Momoko likes you."

Hanto looked down at Momoko. "I suppose she does." He let go of Kaoru's hands so that he could pick Momoko up. The cat settled into Hanto's arms. "I'm really sorry I knocked you over," he said to Kaoru.

"It's all right." Kaoru smiled. "I know you didn't mean to."

Just then, Tanba appeared at the door. "What are you doing in _Hime's_ room, you ruffian?" he shouted. He rushed forward, grabbing Hanto's arm and pulling. "You step away from her this instant!" Momoko yowled and leapt from Hanto's arms, running out of the room.

"Tanba!" Kaoru pulled her fan out from under her obi, reached around Hanto, and hit Tanba soundly on the side of his head. "You leave Hanto alone! He's done nothing wrong. However, because of you, Momoko's escaped again. I'm holding you responsible if she gets lost. Go find her, now!"

"But _Hime_," protested Tanba, rubbing the spot where Kaoru had hit him, "why are you letting– "

"Now, Tanba!" Kaoru raised her fan warningly. Chastened, Tanba slunk off to search for Momoko. Kaoru turned back to Hanto. "I must apologize about Tanba. He's not used to me having friends. My having vassals and a _kagemusha_ was tough enough for him to deal with already." She sighed. "He's just going to have to get used to it," she said resolutely. "Now, let's go look for Momoko. If I know her, I think I know where to look."

o-o-o-o-o

"I don't believe it," said Chiaki, peeking through the sliver of space between the kitchen door and the frame. "_Nee-san's_ cooking, and it actually smells good!"

"How is that weird?" asked Hiroto.

Chiaki turned to Hiroto. "Trust me; Mako's cooking's beyond bad."

"I can't imagine that there's a worse cook than Saki." Sousuke made a sour face at the recollection of the last time Saki had cooked something that wasn't cake. "It still surprises me that she's an awful cook overall, but her cakes are simply incredible."

"_Saki-chan's_ cake last night was delicious! But _Mako-chan is _a good cook already… isn't she?" protested Kotoha, causing Takeru, Ryunosuke, and Chiaki to turn to look at her in disbelief.

At that moment, Mako turned her attention to the kitchen door. "I don't know why all of you are acting so surprised," she announced, causing everyone gathered behind the door to fall forward in surprise, landing in a heap just inside the kitchen. Ren was so startled by the avalanche of bodies that he nearly dropped the carton of eggs he was holding.

Chiaki struggled at the bottom of the heap. "Get off of me! You guys are heavy!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Ryunosuke.

Takeru jumped up and helped Kotoha to her feet. "Thank you, _Tono-sama_," said Kotoha, bowing deeply to Takeru. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. No need to apologize," said Takeru. He chuckled as Kotoha went to extricate Chiaki from under Ryunosuke and Sousuke as Hiroto climbed off the impromptu dogpile.

"Good morning, everyone!" said Genta heartily. "This morning's breakfast will be a trip around the world, or at least a trip to France and to Hawaii! It'll be delicious! Just you wait."

"Until then," said Mako, "everyone out." She began to usher her teammates out of the kitchen, prompting Ren to make a dive for the now-unattended frying pan on the stove.

After everyone got shooed from the kitchen, Kotoha and Chiaki each excused themselves to go wash up, Hiroto headed for the courtyard for his morning workout, and Sousuke headed back towards Miu's room to wait for her. As soon as Chiaki was out of earshot, Ryunosuke said in a low voice to Takeru, "_Tono_, I don't know if I should be telling you this, but when I went to get Kotoha and Chiaki, I found Kotoha coming out of Chiaki's room!"

Takeru's expression remained stoic. "And?"

Ryunosuke was taken aback by Takeru's nonchalance. "Um, well, she has her own room here, doesn't she? The fact that she was in Chiaki's room this morning makes me think that something improper has happened!"

"Ryunosuke," sighed Takeru, "you can't possibly know if something has or hasn't happened and, unless Chiaki has hurt Kotoha in some way, which I seriously doubt, it's really none of our business anyway." When Ryunosuke opened his mouth to protest, Takeru put a hand up to silence him. "Just let it go. I'm going to go wash up." With that, he turned to go to his room, leaving Ryunosuke wondering if his lord had gone at least slightly mad.

o-o-o-o-o

Genta had just finished helping Ren make a large platter of Spam musubi when he felt something tickle his ankle. He looked down to see Momoko brush past him. He yelped loudly, nearly causing Mako to drop the baking sheet she was holding, and jumped up onto one of the kitchen chairs.

Ren gave Genta a funny look. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Genta pointed down at Momoko. "She's back!"

Mako set the baking sheet onto the counter. "Who?" Upon seeing Momoko, she smiled. "Well, hello, _Momoko-chan_." She crouched to pet the cat. "Where did you come from?"

"Be careful, _Mako-chan_," warned Genta, "she could bite you!"

Mako plucked one of the Spam musubi from the platter that Ren and Genta had prepared, set it onto a saucer, and put the plate in front of Momoko. Momoko sniffed the food with some suspicion, then took a cautious nibble. Finding the musubi to her liking, Momoko began to eat more enthusiastically. "You see? No problem," said Mako.

Genta watched Momoko warily as he slowly climbed down from his chair. "Hmph. I hope she doesn't think I'm dessert," he spat.

Just then, Kaoru, with Hanto behind her, arrived at the kitchen. "Good morning everyone. Has anyone seen Momoko?" she asked.

Mako bowed. "Good morning, _Kaoru-sama_. Momoko's right here." She motioned towards Momoko enjoying her Spam musubi.

Kaoru laughed. She reached down to pet Momoko. "I should have known I'd find you here," she said. Picking up Momoko with one hand and the plate of half-eaten musubi with the other, Kaoru asked, "I do hope that she wasn't any trouble, was she?"

Ren smiled and bowed. "No trouble at all, _Kaoru-sama_."

Genta paused for a split second before he pasted on a smile and said as warmly as he could, "No trouble at all, _Hime-sama_." He shot a somewhat menacing look at Momoko, who continued blithely eating.

"We're sorry if Momoko troubled you," said Hanto. "It was my fault."

"No, it wasn't," insisted Kaoru. "Momoko's just a rambunctious little girl, aren't you?" She turned to Hanto. "Come on, let's get her back to my room." Smiling and nodding at Ren, Genta, and Mako, Kaoru turned to leave.

"After that, let's go wake up Gunpei. See you at breakfast," said Hanto, waving to Mako, Ren, and Genta as he followed Kaoru out of the kitchen.

Mako turned to Ren. "So what do you think of those two?" she asked.

Ren twisted his mouth in contemplation. "As a couple, you mean? Still too early to tell one way or another, but Hanto seems to think there might be something."

"They seem to get along well," observed Genta, "but a couple? I don't see it. It looks to me more like he's a puppy following his mistress."

_Takeru will be glad to hear that_, thought Mako. She finished moving croissants from the baking sheet to a cloth-lined basket. "That's the last batch of croissants. I sure hope everyone will like what we've made. When shall we call them to the table?"

**Well, Mako's cooking sure smelled good, and Momoko seemed to be okay with it, but will anyone human have the same opinion? All in due time, my friends. ^_^**


	6. The Kids Are All Right

**Shinken Reunion Party, Let's Go On! Chapter 6**

**As always, many thanks for the reviews! Y'all are awesome!**

**I apologize if I took a bit more time than usual to put this chapter out. This one, oddly enough, was even more difficult to write than the previous two. I've also been working on a fan art project during this time.**

**Y'all have probably guessed by now that the crack pairing is Hanto and Kaoru. I figured it was more crack than Kaoru/any Shinkenger guy, and it accentuates the crossover aspect. Crack pairings are not the norm for me, so enjoy while you can!**

_**Pain au chocolat**_** is a typical French breakfast food, consisting of a croissant-like pastry filled with chocolate. **_**Linguiça **_**is Portuguese sausage.**

**Japanese breakfasts are based around rice, seafood, and fermented foods like **_**natto**_**, or fermented soybeans (the food that, in Act 28, Kotoha admitted to disliking; personally, I love the stuff). The Japanese are generally not used to sweeter breakfast fare like sugared cereals, fruit, and Pop-Tarts.**

**Asakusa Hanayashiki is touted as the oldest amusement park in Japan. It was originally opened as a flower park in 1853 in Tokyo prefecture.**

_**Hetalia**_** (full title **_**Hetalia: Axis Powers**_**) is a popular manga and anime which is an allegorical satire of political and historic events, particularly those of the World War II era, and centering around Italy's perceived cowardice during that period. The characters in **_**Hetalia**_** are personifications of the nations that made up the Axis and Allied Powers during World War II.**

**Disclaimer: **_**Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Engine Sentai Go-onger, **_**and all characters and references therein are the property of Toei of Japan. Spam is a trademark of the Hormel Foods Corporation. **_**Hetalia**_** is the property of Studio Deen. Charmmy Kitty is the property of Sanrio. No infringement is intended or implied.**

**Chapter 6: The Kids Are All Right**

When Genta, Mako, and Ren were done preparing breakfast, they called everyone to the sitting room. A large table had been set up in the center of the room, with enough seating for all, with Kaoru and Takeru placed at the head of the table. The kuroko brought in platters of spam musubi, _linguiça_ and eggs, white rice, croissants with butter, _pains aux chocolat_ and cups of strong coffee.

"I hope you all enjoy it," said Genta proudly. "The three of us worked hard on this!"

"I'm sure it'll be delicious," said Takeru assuredly, though he eyed the platters of Spam musubi and _linguiça_ and eggs warily, knowing that Mako had put some hand into preparing each one.

After a chorus of "_Itadakimasu!_", everyone began helping themselves to the food.

Trying to look as nonchalant as possible, Takeru popped a bite of _linguiça_ and eggs into his mouth. The Shinkengers all watched him expectantly as he chewed carefully and swallowed. His eyes opened wide. "Mako! What is this?" he asked in shock.

"It's Portuguese sausage and eggs. People in Hawaii eat that a lot for breakfast. Do you like it?" asked Mako, looking somewhat worried.

"Like it? It's delicious!" Takeru grinned before he took another bite. "I must say I'm pleasantly surprised."

Mako blushed. "I can't take all the credit. Ren was an excellent teacher." With the endorsement from their lord, the other Shinkengers began to enthusiastically dig into their _linguiça_ and eggs.

"Oh, I don't know," Ren said modestly. "Mako's apparently learned a few things about cooking in Hawaii."

Takeru gave Mako a grin before he took a bite of his Spam musubi. As with his _linguiça_ and eggs, his eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "I like this… this… what is this?"

"Spam musubi," answered Ren. "Mako says that they're very popular in Hawaii."

Mako added, "Yeah, they're sold at the convenience stores the way they sell onigiri here."

"Is that right? Makes me kind of wish that these would become popular here. Remind me to have _Jii_ get the recipe from you." Takeru's smile widened slightly. _He did it_, he thought, as he watched Mako butter a croissant. _Ren actually managed to help Mako with her cooking. Genta too. Good job, guys. There's hope for her yet_.

o-o-o-o-o

Breakfast was a lively affair; the Sutou siblings, having been all over the world and sampled many different cuisines, were impressed by the fare in front of them and complimented Genta, Ren, and Mako on their dishes. Kotoha had thought that the _pain au chocolat _was just a variant on a croissant and was so surprised at finding chocolate inside that she nearly choked on her first bite, prompting half the table to jump up and rush to her aid. Sousuke seemed to especially relish the Spam musubi and kept calling them "giant Spam nigiri," much to Mako's amusement and Genta's annoyance.

After breakfast, everyone remained at the table after the _kuroko_ whisked away all the empty plates and cups. Miu remarked that Sousuke needed some new clothes, especially since, as Ren had deduced before, all that he had brought to wear for the weekend were his Go-onger togs. She wanted to go to Shibuya Street to take Sousuke clothes shopping, but Takeru told Miu and Sousuke that he would be willing to lend Sousuke one of his shirts for the day, because he had other plans for everyone.

"I remember that quite some time ago," Takeru said, addressing the Shinkengers, "on one of your days off, you had wanted us all to go to an amusement park. I really did want to go on that day, but, as you know, I had other important things to do. Since we're all here for this special gathering, and because things are quiet on our collective battlefronts, I thought today would be a good day for us all to go to Asakusa Hanayashiki. And yes, that includes the Go-ongers."

Hiroto and Miu smiled and nodded as the other Go-ongers and the Shinkengers cheered and jumped up in jubilation. Hikoma grinned, feeling gratified that Takeru, probably for the first time ever, would be fully enjoying a trip to the amusement park. Tanba, on the other hand, frowned and declared that Kaoru would not be joining the trip, but Kaoru defiantly insisted, much to everyone else's delight, that she would indeed be going to Hanayashiki. When she asked if any of the girls would be willing to lend her some clothes for the day, Mako, Kotoha, Saki, and Miu jumped up and ushered her away to help her pick out an outfit.

o-o-o-o-o

In front of the Shiba house, the boys waited for the girls to finish helping Kaoru with her outfit for the day. Sousuke tapped his foot impatiently. "How long does it take for four girls to dress just one?"

"Come now, Sousuke," said Genta, "it's more than just putting clothes on the body. The clothes have to look nice as well. I may not be a fashionable dresser, but even I know this."

"I'm sure she's going to be cute," said Hanto, hands clasped in anticipation.

Just then, the girls filed out of the mansion and went to meet the boys. Kaoru was flanked by Miu and Saki on her right and Mako and Kotoha on her left. Kaoru's hair was free of its usual updo and was combed straight, with a pink hairband on top. She had borrowed a pink-and-black striped blouse from Mako, a pair of clamdigger pants from Kotoha, and a pair of sneakers from Saki.

All the boys nodded appreciatively. "Mother, the outfit looks good on you," said Takeru, nodding his approval.

"Thank you, Takeru." Kaoru tugged at the bottom of her pants and blushed. "This takes some getting used to, though."

Hanto rushed forward to take Kaoru's hand. "_Kaoru-chan_, you look cute!" he gushed.

Takeru took a deep breath. _It's still too early to tell_, he chanted to himself over and over as Hanto continued to chatter and hold Kaoru's hand. He looked over at Mako, who nodded once to reassure him.

Tanba, watching with Hikoma from the front porch, thought about running out to the group to separate Kaoru and Hanto, but he stopped himself before he took a single step. Sighing resignedly, he looked over at Hikoma and muttered, "This isn't easy, you know."

Hikoma nodded. "If it makes you feel any better, _Tono_ has concerns about Hanto as well. He expressed them to me earlier." He looked out at the group of fourteen young people now making transportation arrangements to the amusement park. "I understand his concern and yours, but _Kaoru-hime_ is not a little girl anymore and I suggest that you give her some space to decide for herself what sort of relationship she is comfortable having with Hanto. Besides, I really do not think that either you or _Tono_ have anything to worry about right now."

"That may be, but it's still hard to watch that… that… _boy_ fawning over _Hime_ like that." Tanba's brow furrowed. "You know, I always envisioned a distinguished and noble man for her, like the Sutou boy." He motioned towards Hiroto, who was talking with Sousuke and Miu, both of whom looked unusually meek.

"Tanba," Hikoma chuckled, "this weekend is not a marriage interview for _Kaoru-hime_. She may not be a little girl anymore, but she's still young, and she deserves to have some time to just be young."

Back by the front gate, Takeru nodded at Gunpei. "All right. If we get separated on the way, we'll meet you at the front gate of Hanayashiki." He turned to the group that would be riding with him in his car. "Let's go." Chiaki, Kotoha, and Genta climbed into the back seat of the Mustang, having deferred the front passenger seat to Kaoru, who got into the car as Hanto watched wistfully. As Takeru got into the Mustang and retracted the top, everyone else boarded the Ginjiro-go. The two vehicles rolled out of the gates of the Shiba house.

o-o-o-o-o

After the Ginjiro-go and the Mustang arrived at the park and everyone had paid their admission fee, Hanto, Saki, Miu, and Chiaki sought out the roller coaster. Once everyone had reached the front of the line, all seven Go-ongers enthusiastically boarded the coaster. Takeru hoped that time and experience piloting the Shishi Origami and all the mecha combinations would have alleviated, if not dissipated, his childhood fear of high velocity rides. He saw apprehension in the faces of Kotoha, Ryunosuke, and Kaoru and felt some comfort in not being the only one who was nervous about the ride. Nevertheless, he put on his best game face and got on the ride, seating himself next to Genta. Seeing Takeru getting on the roller coaster was enough to coax Kotoha and Ryunosuke to follow suit; Kaoru, however, was still apprehensive until Hanto asked Ren and Gunpei to sit together so that Kaoru could sit with him.

The roller coaster's brakes released, and the train of cars began its ascent. Takeru gulped, trying to keep his composure as the cars climbed ever higher. Genta looked over at him. "Are you all right?" he asked, shouting to make himself heard over the clanking of the conveyor.

Takeru nodded. "It's my first time riding this. I have no idea what I'm in for," he shouted back.

"You'll be fine," Genta assured him. The line of cars reached the zenith of the first incline and began its rapid descent.

o-o-o-o-o

The roller coaster slowed and came to a jarring stop inside the loading station. As soon as the lap bars were released, everyone got off the train and onto the debarking platform. Chiaki turned to Kotoha. "Are you okay? What did you think?"

"You were right!" Kotoha bubbled. "It _was_ kind of like riding in _Tono-sama's_ car, but faster!"

Genta looked at Takeru. "So what'd you think? You okay?" he asked him quietly.

"Truthfully, I'm kind of embarrassed," answered Takeru sheepishly. "All those years that I psyched myself out..." He sighed and palmed his face.

"Hey, hey," said Genta. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. If it helps, I used to be scared of this thing, too."

"Let's ride again! Who's with me?" cried Sousuke. Everyone but Ryunosuke, Mako, Ren, Takeru, Gunpei, and Kaoru followed Sousuke.

Genta had started to follow Sousuke's group when he turned around. "Hey, _Take-chan_, you coming?"

Takeru looked up at the roller coaster, lips pursed, then back at Genta. He shrugged and grinned. "Sure, why not?" He turned to Kaoru. "I'm going to ride again. You guys don't go too far from here, all right? Call me if you need to." Takeru jogged over to Genta, who gave him a hearty pat on the back as they ran to catch up to the others.

o-o-o-o-o

After getting their fill of rides fast and slow for the moment, the group headed for the games midway. No sooner had they gotten there that Saki squealed and pointed at a stand where a cork gun game was set up. "Look at the adorable plushies! Oh, I want one of those." She rushed up to the stand, handed the barker 500 yen, and received a small basket of corks. She then began to try to shoot down one of the boxed plush dolls off the ledge that had been set up.

Hanto nudged Gunpei. "Hey, you're a pretty good shot. Let's see if you can get a prize from this game."

Gunpei looked incredulously at Hanto. "What would I want one of those silly prizes for?"

Hanto shrugged. "Well, if I pay for the corks and you get a prize, I, er, we can give it to _Kaoru-chan_."

Kaoru shook her head, smiling politely. "Oh, Hanto," she said, "you don't have to go through all that trouble for me. It's okay."

Gunpei, however, began to think, _Hey, if I can get a prize down and give it to_ Kotoha-chan, _she might give me one of those cute smiles again_. "All right, let me try this." He gave the barker 100 yen.

Chiaki watched Saki and Gunpei get a few shots off before he said, "I'll give it a go." He plucked a 500 yen coin from his wallet and handed it to the barker, who gave him his allotment of corks. "Let's see if my reasoning works here," he declared as he raised his rifle up to aim.

By this time, Saki had burned through all of her corks in a fruitless effort. "_Mou_, that didn't work out at all," she pouted. "Oh well. Smile, smile," she told herself.

Chiaki, however, had managed to use most of his corks to nudge a boxed _Hetalia_ Italy plush doll a good ways over the back edge of the shelf it sat on. Down to his last cork, he took his time to carefully aim his rifle at the box, and squeezed the trigger. The cork flew from the barrel of the gun and struck the bottom half of the box, nudging it just enough that teetered for a split second before it fell backwards from the shelf. The box slid down the booth's canvas backdrop, which fed into a basket towards the front of the stand. "Yes!" Chiaki pumped his fist in victory as everyone else cheered.

The barker plucked the boxed plush from the basket and handed it to Chiaki with a flourish. "Congratulations! Here you are!"

"You did it, Chiaki!" Kotoha patted Chiaki on his shoulders.

Ryunosuke smiled. "Once again, your imaginative thinking comes through for you. I would never have thought to use the corks in the way that you did."

"Very nice shooting!" marveled Ren. "And very good strategy." He added a few notes about Chiaki's shooting gallery strategy to his notebook.

"Thanks guys." Chiaki held the boxed _Hetalia_ plush out to Kotoha. "Here. This is for you."

Kotoha was surprised. "But you won that," she said, confused. "It's yours, isn't it?"

Chiaki shook his head. "Kind of. I wanted to win it for you, so here you are."

Kotoha beamed. "Really? Thank you." She jumped up and threw her arms around him.

_How does he manage to one-up me every time?_, thought Gunpei. He had already used up the corks that he had bought with his first 100 yen; he had bought another 400 yen's worth, and those were nearly gone, too. Having observed Chiaki's strategy for shooting down the _Hetalia_ plush, he spotted a boxed Charmmy Kitty plush that had been pushed slightly back and began shooting his last few corks at the box. Like with Chiaki and the _Hetalia_ plush, Gunpei concentrated his gunfire at the bottom half of the box and eventually succeeded in tipping it from the shelf.

"Yes! I did it!" The lady in the booth handed Gunpei the Charmmy Kitty boxed plush. He turned to present the prize to where Kotoha had been standing, only to find that she had moved on another booth at the midway. In fact, everyone else had moved on, leaving Gunpei by himself at the cork gun booth. "Hey! Wait for me!" He ran to catch up with the group, several of whom were trying their hands at scooping up goldfish. Gunpei smacked Sousuke on the shoulder. "Hey! What the hell? Were you guys just going to leave me there all day?"

"Hey, it was Ren's idea," Sousuke shot back. He looked at the boxed plush in Gunpei's hands. "Nice kitty plush," he smirked.

"Yeah, well…" Gunpei's face turned red. "I was actually going to give this to– "

Just then, Hanto noticed that Gunpei had rejoined the group, as well as the boxed plush in Gunpei's hands. "Oh, hey, Gunpei! You did it!" He dug into his pants pocket, counted out 500 yen, took the box from Gunpei, and dropped the money into Gunpei's hand. "Thanks!" He turned to Kaoru, who was now applauding with everyone else at Ryunosuke's successful capture of two goldfish, and presented the boxed plush to her.

"Oh, nice of you to help Hanto out there!" cheered Sousuke. He patted Gunpei's shoulder firmly. "He's lucky to have a friend like you." Sousuke then turned to whisper something to Miu, making her smile and hug him.

Gunpei stared at his hands, now empty, save for the 500 yen that Hanto had given him. He watched Kaoru bow in thanks as she accepted the boxed plush from Hanto, then saw Chiaki, who was hand-in-hand with Kotoha, give Ryunosuke a high-five with his free hand. He looked back down at his hands, then back up at Kaoru, who was now admiring the Charmmy Kitty plush. _What the hell just happened?_

o-o-o-o-o

"Oh hey! Let's go here!" Sousuke pointed at the haunted house. He pulled a very reluctant Miu behind him. Everyone followed, with Takeru and Hiroto keeping some distance behind the group.

"Sousuke," whimpered Miu. "I don't want to go in there." She broke from Sousuke and ran to Hiroto, clutching onto his arm. "We're not going to go in there, are we, _Ani_?"

Hiroto looked up and gulped. "How about we not and say that we did?"

"I'm with Hiroto on this one," added Takeru.

Saki turned and blinked in surprise. "_Hiroto-san?_ I thought you got over your fear of– "

"Doesn't mean that I'm going to willingly go traipsing into a haunted house." Hiroto interrupted. He hugged himself uneasily.

Genta turned to look at Takeru, whose complexion seemed a couple of shades lighter as he stared nervously at the entrance to the haunted house. "_Take-chan_, seriously? I thought we'd been through this before."

"I don't want to talk about it," Takeru muttered. "I'll, er, just wait for the rest of you out here."

By this time, Chiaki had run back to where Genta, Takeru, Hiroto, and Miu were. "Come on, you guys, let's go inside!" He began to push Takeru towards the haunted house.

"Chiaki! Stop that!" Takeru barked. He sighed and turned to Genta. "Genta… you know that I don't ask you for much, aside from putting your life in my hands and vice versa, but will you stick close to me when we go through… that?"

Genta slung his arm around Takeru's shoulders. "You bet I will. All of us will, right?" he said to his fellow Shinkengers.

"Sure, you big fraidy cat," teased Chiaki.

"You can count on me, _Tono_," Ryunosuke said earnestly.

"We'll make sure you're okay, _Tono-sama_." Kotoha nodded and bowed.

Mako laid her hand on Takeru's shoulder. "Whether it's the Gedoushu or the haunted house at Hanayashiki, we're here for you."

"Takeru… if it makes you feel any better," added Kaoru, "things like this kind of make me nervous, too."

Hanto picked up Kaoru's hand. "You can stay close to me when we go in. These things don't bother me much."

"Thank you, Hanto," said Kaoru. She suddenly felt her face getting warm and quickly looked away from Hanto.

Sousuke jogged back to Hiroto and Miu. He took one of Miu's hands in both of his. "I know you're scared about going in there," he said as reassuringly as he could, "but you have to remember that it's not real. Besides, you have me and your _Ani_ to hold onto if things get bad, right?" He looked over at Hiroto.

"Er, yeah, that's right." Hiroto glanced at Saki, who smiled reassuringly at him, before continuing, "It's, um, all fake. Yeah. Sousuke and I will be with you, won't we, Sousuke?"

"Not just Sousuke," Saki spoke up, "I'll stay close to you, too."

"So will I," Ren added. "You, too, right, Gunpei?"

Gunpei nodded resolutely. "You bet."

Kaoru and Hanto, still holding hands, looked at each other, then at their respective teams. Kaoru took a deep breath. "I'm ready whenever you all are," she announced.

Hanto smiled at Kaoru, then pumped his free hand, curled into a fist, into the air. "Let's go on!" he shouted. He took off running, surprising Kaoru as she got pulled along behind him. Takeru was so focused on overcoming his own trepidation that he didn't notice the pair running hand in hand until they were at the entrance. _Hmmm... they don't actually look too bad togeth– wait! What was that about? Never mind that for now; I'm getting ready to go into the haunted house! Oh boy..._

"Yes! Let's go on!" Sousuke put his arm around Miu, who still held tightly to Hiroto, and the trio bravely marched towards the entrance of the haunted house. Saki, Ren, and Gunpei followed.

"Ready, _Take-chan_?" asked Genta.

Takeru took a deep breath. "All right. Let's go." With Genta on one side of him and Mako on the other, Takeru felt his heart pounding rapidly as he and the rest of the Shinkengers approached the haunted house.

**I figured that Takeru and Hiroto's fear of ghosts and/or haunted houses wouldn't be cured in just one episode, and poor Miu never had the chance to get over that fear (that was shown), so I figured that it was worth revisiting from the canon. **


	7. Things That Go Bump

**Shinken Reunion Party, Let's Go On! Chapter 7**

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews and compliments! I appreciate every one of them, and you!**

**And into the haunted house they go! How will everyone fare as they sally forth? If it were me, I'd be standing with Hiroto, Miu, and Takeru if they hadn't been coaxed into going in. I know haunted house attractions are fake, but getting the crap scared out of me is not my idea of fun. So there. ^^;;**

**_Takoyaki_ is a popular Japanese snack often served as street food or fair food (Gunpei mentions _takoyaki_ as one of his favorite things about carnivals in GP 39). It is a dumpling made of batter and diced octopus cooked in a special spherical mold and topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, powdered green seaweed, and dried bonito shavings. If that's inspiring some of you to say "yuck," I promise you that it tastes better than it sounds.**

**Boring legal crap: _Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Engine Sentai Go-onger_, and all characters and references therein are the property of Toei of Japan. Charmmy Kitty is the property of Sanrio. No infringement is intended or implied.**

**Chapter 7: Things That Go Bump**

Kaoru shivered, fearful of what was to come as she and Hanto entered the haunted house. Hanto looked over at her and squeezed her hand gently. "Don't be scared," he said soothingly, "I'm here."

"Thanks," said Kaoru, huddling closer to Hanto. "Goodness, it seems so silly for me to be scared of something like this, especially when I should know that it's not real."

As the second group stepped into the haunted house, Hiroto and Miu each held tightly to the other's hand. Miu's other hand was clamped onto Sousuke's arm. "_Ani_, I don't like this at all," Miu whimpered. "Can we go back?"

Hiroto inhaled a deep breath. "We're already inside, so it's too late. Sorry, little sister, but we're just going to have to see this thing through." He jumped as a ghostly hand reached out to touch him. As more costumed _youkai_ appeared, Hiroto shivered. He began to cower and press closer to Miu. Miu screamed and hid her face in Sousuke's shirt.

Sousuke drew Miu in for a comforting hug and found himself hugging not just one, but two, Sutou siblings, since Hiroto was holding fast to his sister. Even though he had been in close quarters with Hiroto before, the context of the current situation made Sousuke begin to feel fairly awkward, and he hoped that Hiroto would not qualify the jaunt into the haunted house as hurting Miu.

Behind the trio, Saki shook her head as Gunpei was hunched behind Ren beside her as they pushed forward. "_Mou_, all of you guys are silly," she sighed. She marched up to Hiroto and poked him in the back of his head. "Hey!" Putting on her tough girl voice, Saki scolded, "I'm surprised atcha, _Hiroto-san_. What happened to 'you gave me courage' from that last time, huh? And you call yerself a man? Geez!"

Sousuke's mouth dropped open; this was a side of Saki he never knew existed. Both Hiroto and Miu turned to look at Saki in surprise. "S-Sa… ki?" stuttered Hiroto.

"You were so brave that last time," Saki pouted.

Hiroto took a deep breath. "You know what? You're absolutely right. If I could get through it before, I can do it again. I guess old habits die hard for me. And that's not just for right now, either." He stood up straight, slowly releasing Miu's hand.

Miu, still clinging to Sousuke, looked at Hiroto, her eyes full of fear. "_Ani!_ What are you doing?"

Hiroto turned Miu around so that she faced him. As bravely as he could, he stammered, "Um, look, I know Grandpa's ghost stories instilled this unholy fear of ghosts in us, but w-we have to remember that these ghosts aren't real. It's hard, but I have to keep telling myself that none of this is real."

"That's right." Sousuke slipped his finger under Miu's chin to turn her line of sight towards him. "The only things that are real here are you, me, your brother, Saki, and all our friends. And we promise that we won't let anything here hurt you."

"Besides," added Saki, "it's only a park attraction. I don't think they'd be allowed to have anything that was designed to actually hurt people here."

Miu looked from one reassuring face to another. She inhaled and exhaled a slow, deep breath. "Okay, let's do this," she said, her voice still shaky. She gripped Sousuke's hand firmly, giving him a tiny smile before the two of them followed Saki and Hiroto, who had already ventured forward.

o-o-o-o-o

Takeru was stopped dead in his tracks just inside the entrance of the haunted house. Eyes shut, his arms were pulled in tightly against himself, and his hands were clenched in fists just under his chin. "Genta, I can't do this," he said hoarsely.

"_Take-chan_, you've done it before. You can do it again." Genta took his hand off Takeru's shoulder to hike up his shirt sleeve. "Come on; we're men, and men don't run from challenges!"

As much as Chiaki wanted to laugh at the idea of the bad-ass head of the Shiba clan paralyzed by fear of an amusement park haunted house, he himself felt his own adrenaline rushing as the group inched forward, Kotoha clinging to his arm. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Um, yeah," answered Kotoha, her voice quivering almost imperceptibly. She looked over at Takeru. "Poor _Tono-sama_. He looks like he's going to throw up."

Having heard the tail end of Kotoha's remark, Ryunosuke planted himself in front of Takeru. "_Tono!_ If you are feeling ill, please let me escort you to the nearest facility where you can get aid."

"Ryunosuke, she didn't say that Takeru was actually going to throw up, only that he looked like he was going to," groaned Mako. "Besides, are you sure you're not scared yourself?"

"What? No! I'm just worried about our lord is all."

Mako smirked, not believing a word Ryunosuke said. "Right. Let's just hurry up and get through this." She patted Takeru's arm.

Genta put his hand back on Takeru's shoulder. "Shall we proceed?" Gently, he nudged Takeru further into the attraction's interior. The other Shinkengers stayed close to the pair.

o-o-o-o-o

As Hanto and Kaoru ventured into the simulated graveyard, a gust of cold air blown from a hidden vent made Kaoru shiver slightly, and the sudden appearance of park employees dressed as zombies and ghosts made her gasp and pushed her closer still to Hanto.

Hanto felt his heart skip, both from the sudden appearance of the ghouls within the haunted house and from Kaoru's grabbing a handful of his shirt collar alongside her Charmmy Kitty plush. He took his free hand and placed it on the small of Kaoru's back. "Don't worry, _Kaoru-chan_," he said, "just repeat to yourself that it's not real." He shivered as the cold air and the costumed _youkai_ danced around him and Kaoru.

Closing her eyes, Kaoru took a deep breath. _It's not real_, she thought. _It's not real._ She leaned her forehead against Hanto's collarbone and chanted, "It's not real. It's not real. It's not real." Her breathing slowed as she began to believe in what she was saying. She loosened her grip on Hanto's collar and pushed herself away from him slightly. She looked up at him. "I'm okay," she said, smiling. Suddenly realizing just how close she was to Hanto, Kaoru looked away. "I wonder where the others are?" she asked, fully letting go of Hanto's collar and moving out from under his hand.

At that moment, Saki came into the graveyard, with Hiroto closely behind her; his hands were planted firmly on her shoulders and he was hunched slightly behind her. "There you two are," she said. "I was wondering where you were." She tipped her head quizzically at the sight of Kaoru and Hanto standing close together, but she decided that this wasn't the place to comment on what she was seeing. Instead, she merely asked, "_Kaoru-sama?_ Are you all right?"

Kaoru smiled, with just the tiniest quiver on her face. "I'm fine, Saki, thank you. Hanto has been taking good care of me."

Hanto blushed, smiling broadly and scratching the back of his neck. "It was nothing," he said sheepishly. "Where are the others?"

"They should be along soon," answered Saki.

Kaoru looked at Hiroto, who was still standing behind Saki and looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Hiroto? Are you okay? You look somewhat ill."

Hiroto shook his head. "I'm fine," he croaked. "Let's hurry up and get out of here."

"We'll lead," said Hanto. He continued to hold Kaoru's hand tightly as he followed the arrows pointing towards a corridor that led to the exit.

o-o-o-o-o

Mako felt her hand getting sweaty as it was clamped fast in the crook of Takeru's left arm, but she didn't remove it to wipe it off, unsure of his reaction if she should do so. She glanced at his face, which bore a look of distress as ghostly-looking hands swiped at them from both sides of the corridor they were in. _Hang in there, Takeru._

Ryunosuke inched forward, his hands clutching at himself. _I'm not afraid of this_, he told himself. _This should be nothing compared to the Gedoushu, for crying out loud!_ One of the hands protruding from the corridor wall grazed Ryunosuke's arm and he let out a yell and practically climbed onto Genta's back. Everyone was so startled by Ryunosuke's sudden leap that they all screamed as they crashed into a pile onto the floor.

"What the hell?" protested Chiaki, his arms flailing. "How come I always end up on the bottom?"

"Takeru! Are you all right?" asked Mako. "Takeru?"

"_Tono!_ I'm sorry about all this!"

"Um, whoever has their hand on my bottom, could you please remove it?" asked Kotoha.

"It's not me," answered Ryunosuke. "Wait a minute." He squeezed what he was holding, and when he heard Kotoha scream, he jerked his hand away. "Ah! Kotoha! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Ryunosuke, you pervert! I'm going to kick your ass when I get out of this pile!" snarled Chiaki.

"I said I was sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Hey! Stop it, you two!" said Genta sharply. "_Take-chan!_ Are you okay?" When he got no response, he asked again, "_Take-chan?_"

All the screaming and bickering between the Shinkengers died out, leaving just the ambient sounds of ghostly moaning and creepy music hanging in the air. Suddenly, a new sound, slowly gaining in volume, wove into and sliced through the melancholy. It was a sound that most of the Shinkengers had rarely, if ever, heard; Takeru was laughing, and laughing heartily.

"Takeru?" asked Mako, unsure of what to think.

"_Tono?_"

"_Tono-sama?_"

"Is Takeru actually laughing? In public? Holy shit!"

Genta began to chuckle, then began to join Takeru in laughing in earnest. Mako found herself unable to suppress the laughter that had begun to overcome the others, and soon, everyone was laughing raucously.

"Oh man," gasped Chiaki, "I'm glad we're all right, but can you guys please get off me now?"

Suddenly, footsteps were heard running towards them and two tall figures could be seen approaching. Ren reached the group first. "Oh my goodness," he said. "What happened?"

Genta untangled himself from the pile and held his hand out to Mako to help her up. "No big deal. We just got a bit tangled up."

Ryunosuke hopped up and held his hands out to Kotoha, bowing deeply. "Once again, Kotoha, I'm sorry my hand was, er..."

Chiaki crawled to his feet and helped Kotoha stand up, ignoring Ryunosuke's apologetic stance. "Yeah, yeah, don't let it happen again," he growled. Turning to Kotoha, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," answered Kotoha, dusting herself off before she began to do the same to Chiaki. "And _Ryu-san_, I accept your apology."

Gunpei clasped Takeru's hand and pulled him up. "Ren and I heard the commotion, so we had to see if you needed help." He then looked at Ryunosuke with narrowed eyes. "Why did you have to apologize to Kotoha? Did you do something to her?"

Ryunosuke's eyes bore the look of an animal snared in a trap and he turned with a panic towards Chiaki, hoping that Chiaki wouldn't reveal his accidental indiscretion, but Kotoha cut in and simply answered, "Um, _Gunpei-san_, it was nothing to be concerned about. I'm okay, really." She grinned reassuredly at Gunpei, which seemed to mollify him.

Takeru nodded at Gunpei. "We're, uh... we're fine. All of us." He looked around at the concerned faces around him and had to chuckle. "I kind of tripped, and I accidentally took everyone else down with me."

"Well, that's a relief." Gunpei stood up as tall as he could. "We should probably all stick together. Safety in numbers, you know?"

Mako nodded. "Good idea." She looked up at Takeru. "What do you think?"

"I think," answered Takeru, "that we should all hurry up and get through this thing because I think we could all use a trip to the food court. I'll buy the _takoyaki_."

Gunpei's eyes widened. "Did you say _takoyaki?_ What are we waiting for?"

"Cool! If Takeru's buying, then I am so there!" Chiaki cheered.

Ryunosuke dropped to his knees in deference to Takeru. "_Tono!_ You are too generous!" he cried.

"Is he always like this?" asked Ren of Takeru.

"Yeah, that's Ryunosuke for you."

Genta threw one arm across Takeru's shoulders and extended his free hand to Ryunosuke. "Come on," he prodded, "don't keep your lord or the rest of us waiting when there's _takoyaki_ to be had."

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air, startling the group. Gunpei's head jerked towards the source. "What was that?" he asked.

"Maybe it's part of the haunted house?" asked Kotoha.

"I don't think so. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it sounded like Miu," said Ren, his voice laced with worry. "She doesn't deal well with ghosts."

"We should go help her, then. Ren! Let's go on!" Gunpei took off down the hall, swatting away the ghoulish hands that reached for him from all sides. Ren turned to pursue Gunpei.

"Hey! What happened to sticking together? Damn it!" Chiaki looked at Takeru, who nodded at him. Chiaki sprinted after Gunpei and Ren.

Takeru took a deep breath. "Let's go," he commanded Mako, Kotoha, and Ryunosuke, who immediately ran to catch up with Chiaki, Ren, and Gunpei, while Takeru clapped his hand onto Genta's shoulder. "Nothing to be afraid of, right?" Genta nodded and smiled before the two chased after their teammates.

o-o-o-o-o

Hanto, Kaoru, Saki, and Hiroto stood outside the exit of the haunted house. Kaoru hugged her Charmmy Kitty plush. "I wonder what's taking them so long," she said, concern furrowing her brow.

"I hope Miu's holding up okay," added Hiroto. "I wonder if I should have stuck with her."

"Don't worry, _Hiroto-san_, they'll be okay. There's no reason why they should be anything but," said Saki.

Suddenly, several voices could be heard shouting from inside the haunted house, getting louder and louder. From the exit burst Gunpei, Chiaki, and Ren. Next came Sousuke, cradling a hysterically sobbing Miu in his arms. Everyone else came streaming after them, with Takeru and Genta at the tail end of the procession.

Ren looked around frantically. "A bench! Where's a bench?" he demanded.

Hiroto ran up to Sousuke and Miu and touched his forehead to Miu's temple. "Miu! Miu! It's okay, I'm here. You're safe." He asked Sousuke angrily, "What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" protested Sousuke. "She had a bit of a scare, that's all." He spotted Ren waving him towards a nearby park bench and carried Miu over.

"It's true." Mako placed a hand on Hiroto's shoulder. "We all caught up to Sousuke and Miu in the graveyard. By that time, the _youkai_ had appeared and Miu freaked out."

"You should have seen _Sousuke-san_," Kotoha added. "He stayed close to _Miu-chan_ the whole time, trying to calm her down."

Genta nodded. "We were ready to bring some hurt if we had to."

Hiroto looked over at the bench where Sousuke now sat, gently rocking Miu in his lap. Miu was apparently much calmer now, but she still held tightly to Sousuke, whose eyes were full of tenderness as he spoke soothingly to her. Saki sat next to Sousuke, gently rubbing Miu's back. Ren, Gunpei, Hanto, Kaoru, and Chiaki stood close by, all watching with concern, waiting to see if Sousuke would need their help.

"Please don't be mad at _Sousuke-san_," begged Kotoha. "He didn't do anything to _Miu-chan_."

Hiroto's expression was still hard as he stalked up to the park bench, pushing roughly past Gunpei and Ren. Mako and Kotoha followed a few steps behind. Kotoha looked up at Chiaki, who circled his arm around her and kissed her on top of her head, still watching the scene in front of him. Mako sat on Sousuke's other side and took Miu's hand in both of hers. "Miu, you're out of the haunted house now. Everything is okay," she said.

Hiroto looked down at the sight of Sousuke, Saki, and Mako comforting Miu. He crouched down so that he could face Miu. Gently turning her face towards him, he smiled and whispered, "Little sister, I'm proud of you. You made it through the haunted house."

Miu managed to smile. "Thank you, _Ani_. Please don't be mad at Sousuke. He was so brave and wonderful in there," she managed to say through sniffles.

Hiroto's face finally softened as he took in Miu's words. He turned to Sousuke. "I'm… I'm sorry for getting on your case like that," he apologized. "I know it wasn't your fault. You know how I am when Miu's in distress. My behavior was inexcusable. Please forgive me."

Sousuke nodded. "No problem. Then again, I can't say that I blame you. I probably would have reacted the same way had I been in your position."

Meanwhile, Takeru, his arms folded, stood with Genta a few steps away from the scene. He looked somewhat shaken, but his eyes were lucid. He shook his head a few times as if to clear it. "Glad things ended well with that. You know, that thing wasn't as bad as the last time," he said to Genta.

Genta nudged Takeru. "You see?"

Takeru nodded, grinning slightly. "Yeah." After a pause, he added, "You know I'm never going in there again."

Genta nodded resolutely. "Understood, _Take-chan_. Food court?"

"Food court."

**Poor Miu! At first, I thought about having Gunpei be the scared one in the end, but I figured that I humiliated him more than enough in the last chapter. Having Miu be scared out of her wits also opened up more protective big brother goodness from Hiroto.**


	8. First Time For Everything

**Shinken Reunion Party, Let's Go On! Chapter 8**

**Apologies for the gap between this and the previous chapters. I had a bit of writer's block regarding how to proceed, then I got sidetracked with writing some quick **_**Dogoon V**_** fics and my **_**Tron: Legacy**_** one-shot.**

**Soft cream is what the Japanese call soft serve ice cream. _Takoyaki_, as I mentioned before, are octopus dumplings, _yakisoba_ is stir-fried noodles, and _okonomiyaki_ is a Japanese savory pancake.**

**I don't know if Japanese high schools, colleges, and universities have spring break or some other mid-semester break in studies the same way their American counterparts do. For the sake of this story, I am assuming that they do, and that Chiaki and Kotoha are both on spring break.**

**The three stars that Genta refers to in this chapter (and during the run of _Shinkenger_) is the highest honor that an executive chef or restauranteur can receive from the _Michelin Guide_, which rates world-class restaurants on a scale of one to three stars. Real-life chefs whose restaurants have been awarded three Michelin stars include Joel Robuchon, Alain Passard, and Gordon Ramsay.**

**I'm taking a wild stab at Gunpei's age. I don't think it was ever mentioned in canon, but I always assumed that he was about 24-25 during _Go-onger_, even when played by a then-21-year-old Kenji Ebisawa.**

**Special acknowledgement goes to PhinalPhantasy for suggesting the duet that will come in this chapter, and also for his fic "What To Get Tonosama For Christmas," which explains why Takeru has a Wii. Thanks for the inspiration! (^_^)b**

_**Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Engine Sentai Go-onger**_**, all characters, and related references are the property of Toei of Japan and TV Asahi. Wii is the property of Nintendo. Charmmy Kitty is the property of Sanrio Limited. _Hetalia_ is the property of Studio Deen. _Karaoke Revolution_ is the property of Konami Corporation. _Just Dance_ is the property of Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. Infringement is not intended or implied. Ever.**

**Chapter 8: First Time For Everything**

After Miu had calmed down, the merry band of fourteen headed for the food court. The turmoil of the haunted house ordeal became a distant memory when Takeru and Hiroto brought several paper trays of _takoyaki, yakisoba,_ and _okonomiyaki_ to the tables that everyone had pushed together to form one large table.

Kaoru looked at all the food curiously. "I know this is going to sound strange, but what is all this?"

All the Go-ongers' mouths dropped open in surprise. Hanto stared at Kaoru. "You've never had _takoyaki_ before?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I've heard that it's street food and it's often served at carnivals and festivals, but I've never really gotten to partake in activities like that."

Hanto felt his heart tearing in two. "_Kaoru-chan_," he said, picking up her hand, "that's so sad."

"It's okay," said Kaoru. "It can't be helped if I had things that I was supposed to do. Although," she continued, glancing at Takeru, "I probably could have pressed Tanba a little harder over the years for some more free time." She watched as the Shinkengers picked up pieces of takoyaki with toothpicks and popped them in their mouths before trying a piece herself.

Hanto watched intently as Kaoru chewed carefully. The outside of the _takoyaki _was crisp and salty from the powdered seaweed, mayonnaise, and _okonomiyaki_ sauce. The inside was creamy and lightly seasoned, with a decently-sized piece of tender cooked octopus inside. After she swallowed the last bit in her mouth, Kaoru nodded slowly. "I like it," she announced. "This is good!"

"I'm happy that you like it!" Hanto cheered, giving Kaoru's shoulder a squeeze.

Takeru watched the scene in front of him serenely. Mako gently nudged him and asked quietly, "How are you holding up?"

Takeru pursed his lips as he swallowed a mouthful of _yakisoba_. "Not bad, I suppose." He looked over at Hanto, who had just fed Kaoru another piece of _takoyaki_. "Mother and Hanto don't look so bad together, do they?"

"Why, Takeru, what's brought this on?" asked Mako. "Just last night, you were worried about something serious developing between them… you know, the idea of Hanto potentially being your stepfather– "

"Mako!" Takeru hissed under his breath. "Okay, even though the thought of that unnerves me to no end, let's not get ahead of ourselves." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I don't know… it's a big scary world out there, Gedoushu, Gaiark, and whatever other uglies are out there aside, and Mother hasn't seen a lot of it. I suppose that's what I worry about, but then I have to remember that she has us watching out for her. I can kind of tell that Hanto would do the same. He's kind of like Kotoha; he's wide-eyed, kind, and very giving. I just hadn't planned on him, or anyone, for that matter, being interested in Mother like _that_, if you get what I mean."

Mako swallowed a morsel of _takoyaki_ and took a sip of soda. She looked over at the rest of the group, particularly Chiaki and Kotoha examining Kotoha's _Hetalia_ plush, and Miu feeding both Sousuke and Hiroto bites of _okonomiyaki_. "And now that it might be happening?"

Takeru shrugged. "What can I do about it? I may be older than she is, and the head of the Shiba house, but she's Mother. She'd probably belt me around the head like she does Tanba if I were to try anything," he replied matter-of-factly, causing Mako to snicker at the mental image of the diminuitive Kaoru having to stretch herself to hit the nearly six-foot-tall Takeru in the head with her fan.

Meanwhile, Genta had tears running down his face as he ate. "Oh, how I've missed this!" he cried.

"What do you miss? You mean _takoyaki_?" asked Sousuke. "I'd figure that you'd work a good number of festivals with that cart of yours and get to partake in all the food they have there."

"You forget that Genta's been in Paris for the last year," Chiaki said. "I'm guessing that French festivals are very different from ours."

"If you could even call them festivals. And no _takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yakisoba,_ or any of the things that we're used to seeing here." Genta pried a piece of _okonomiyaki_ from one of the paper plates in the middle of the table.

Miu asked, "Do you miss Japan?"

"Very much," answered Genta. "I mean, I do have friends in Paris, including some fellow Japanese, and I'm getting used to French food, the French language, and the French way of life, but I do miss Japan, and especially _Take-chan_ and everyone else."

"So why don't you come back?" asked Gunpei.

Genta stood up with a look on his face that was half-dreamy, half determined. "Not until I get my three stars!" he declared loudly, ratcheting his shirt sleeve up to his shoulder.

All the Shinkengers chuckled and nodded, and while Miu, Hiroto, and Ren understood what Genta meant, the other Go-ongers had to be told what three stars he was so determined to get.

"Hey, Ren, maybe you should go for those three stars yourself," said Sousuke.

Ren shook his head gently. "Oh, I don't think so. I'm nowhere near the caliber of a one-star Michelin chef."

"I think Ren's better than he thinks," Mako spoke up, "but Michelin stars are awarded to restauranteurs and their executive chefs."

"What, you can't just send these people a sample of your cooking?"

Miu poked Sousuke in the side of the head. "It doesn't work that way, you silly thing."

At that moment, Saki decided that she wanted to get some soft serve ice cream and asked if anyone else wanted any. Hiroto took two 2000 yen notes from his wallet and held them out to her. "Soft cream for everybody, my treat. Takeru bought the _takoyaki_ and everything else, so let me at least get this."

"Hiroto, that's very generous of you, thank you," said Takeru. He rose to accompany Saki to help her carry fourteen servings of soft serve, nodding at Ryunosuke and Chiaki to accompany him.

o-o-o-o-o

After copious amounts of _takoyaki, yakisoba, okonomiyaki_, soft serve ice cream, and soda had been consumed, everyone agreed that the time was right to head back to the Shiba house. Takeru and Kaoru still took the two front seats of the Mustang, but Chiaki, Kotoha, and Genta ceded their seats to Hanto, Sousuke, and Miu and returned with the others in the Ginjiro-go.

Once Takeru's Mustang and the Ginjiro-go returned to the mansion, Hikoma, Tanba, and the _kuroko_ greeted the Shinkengers and Go-ongers at the front door. Tanba tugged at Kaoru's arm. "_Hime_, now that you have returned, let's get you out of these common rags and into some proper clothing."

"Common?" spat Miu under her breath. "Does he even know how exclusive that hairband is? Not just just anyone could get one of those!"

"Shh," said Mako soothingly, leaning close to Miu. "Tanba is a bit… set in his ways and not very savvy about fashion and other worldly things."

Kaoru, having left her fans in her room, but not wanting to sully her plush Charmmy Kitty, slapped Tanba on top of his head with a bare hand. "Tanba, I will change clothes if I choose to, and I am choosing to remain in what I'm wearing for a while longer, if you don't mind." She looked around at the other girls, who all smiled and nodded. Takeru, Chiaki, and Genta stifled laughs that threatened to bend them in half at what had just taken place.

Everyone headed off to their rooms to freshen up before gathering in the sitting room. "Everyone," announced Takeru, as soon as everyone had seated themselves, "we've had a really exciting day today, so this evening, let's all just take it easy. If you want to play on the Wii, the _kuroko_ will show you where it's set up."

"_Takeru-san_, what if I still want to take Sousuke clothes shopping?" asked Miu.

Hiroto turned to look at Miu. "Even after all you've been through? You sure you're not just trying to ditch your _Ani_ to get some alone time with Sousuke?" He winked as he watched Miu's face turn red. "Thought so."

Because the group had all eaten plenty at Asakusa Hanayashiki, dinner was simply a small selection of some of Genta's special fusion sushi and sashimi preparations, most of which he had developed with the help of Kouta, a Japanese expatriate who had become a mentor to Genta in Paris. Afterwards, Takeru, Genta, and Mako sat in the kitchen chatting with and observing Ren as he showed them easy recipes that could be integrated into their respective menus. Even though Chiaki was interested in the idea of playing on Takeru's Wii, he decided to join Kotoha, who had gone to sit on the back steps of the mansion to play her flute. The two were soon joined by Miu, Sousuke, Ryunosuke, who began to improvise some kabuki-style dances, and Hiroto, who brought out his guitar to accompany Kotoha in several impromptu duets. Saki, Hanto, Kaoru, and Gunpei were in the room with the Wii, but when they decided to start playing _Karaoke Revolution_ and _Just Dance_, everyone began to trickle into the room to join them. Eventually, Takeru had the _kuroko_ move the Wii set-up into the sitting room, and everyone took turns singing and dancing. The highlight of the evening came when Gunpei, Hanto, Ryunosuke, and Chiaki took part in a dance-off, and even though Chiaki was determined by the game mechanics to be the most adept dancer, everyone agreed that Gunpei was the most entertaining.

The festivities went late into the night. Kaoru was the first to retire to bed, followed by Mako, Ryunosuke, Hiroto, Saki, and Ren. When Kotoha decided to call it a night, Chiaki quickly handed his game controller to Takeru so he could walk her to her room. "I'm not coming back," he told Takeru, who nodded in understanding. "G'night, guys." Gunpei waited a couple of beats before he took his own leave.

Sousuke and Miu followed Chiaki's lead and slipped out of the sitting room, giggling, and Takeru watched their shadows as they headed, not to their rooms, but to the back porch. He watched as Hanto finished his session of _Just Dance_. Before the younger boy could start another game, Takeru spoke up, "Hanto, can I talk to you?"

Hanto looked up at Takeru, surprised and a little nervous, since they were the only ones left in the room. "Um, okay." He sat on the floor, facing Takeru. "What did you want to talk about?"

Takeru took a deep breath. "Well, I wanted to ask you about Mother. I just wanted to see…?" he began.

o-o-o-o-o

The next day, after lunch, Hikoma, Tanba, and a group of _kuroko_ watched as the Shinkengers and Go-ongers bid each other goodbye in the front yard. "Travel safely," said Takeru. "We'll see you next weekend at Motegi."

Kotoha clasped her hands. "I'm looking forward to it! I've never been to a racetrack before!"

"Me neither," added Chiaki. "And how cool is it to be going as personal guests of _the_ 'Miracle' Esumi?"

"Eh? _You're_ 'Miracle' Esumi?" Genta was flabbergasted.

Ryunosuke's mouth dropped open. "You didn't know? Even _I_ knew that Sousuke was the one they call 'Miracle'!"

Sousuke blushed. "You guys are embarrassing me. I'm working my way back up, slowly, but steadily."

Mako bowed to Ren. "Thanks for helping me with my cooking this weekend," she said. "I learned so much from you. I hope I can remember it all."

"Well, if you need help, please feel free to call, text, or e-mail me." Ren smiled.

Genta, observing Ren and Mako, whispered to Takeru, "I think she's going to run her phone bill up within just the next few days."

Meanwhile, Hanto looked at Kaoru. "I'm going to miss you," he said sadly.

"Not for too long," countered Kaoru, casting a quick glance at Tanba behind her. "If you're going to Motegi next weekend, I'll be there, too. Not only that, but you have my number and I have yours; you're welcome to call me anytime."

"Maybe I could meet you for coffee sometime, too?"

"I'd like that." Kaoru reached out and took Hanto's hand in both of hers. "Take care of yourself, Hanto. Until next weekend."

Suddenly, Hanto pulled Kaoru close to him and hugged her tightly. "You, too. I'll still miss you until then, _Kaoru-chan_."

No one was more surprised than Kaoru herself when she found her hands sliding around to Hanto's back to reciprocate his hug. She felt her heartbeat quicken as she squeezed him gently and found herself somewhat choked up when they parted.

Tanba's cheek twitched, and he started to charge forward, only to find Takeru's hands holding him back. "Tanba, let her be," said Takeru calmly. He looked at Hanto, who was still holding hands with Kaoru. "Mother seems content, and besides, Hanto's a… he's a good guy." He walked up to Hanto and patted him on the shoulder. "He _is_ a Go-onger, after all. That should count for something," Takeru added, grinning. Tanba sighed and shook his head.

"Thanks, _Takeru-san_," said Hanto, feeling buoyed that Takeru, after having ascertained Hanto's pure intentions towards Kaoru during their conversation the previous night, was copacetic with the idea of Hanto and Kaoru at least being friends.

Gunpei shook Chiaki's hand in both of his and bowed. "Take good care of Kotoha. Be good to her."

"Um, I thought I already was, but okay?" Chiaki was puzzled, but he nodded and smiled politely. When Gunpei was out of earshot, Chiaki tipped his head to the side and whispered to Kotoha, "I wonder what that was all about?"

"_Gunpei-san_ is a nice guy, but he's kind of weird," Kotoha whispered back. "He was acting like he was never going to see us again."

"Take care, all of you," said Hiroto. He grinned. "I look forward to our next meeting."

Miu hooked her hand onto the crook of Sousuke's arm. "It was great seeing all of you again."

Sousuke nodded. He said to Takeru, "Well, see you guys next week." After bumping fists with Takeru, Sousuke led the Go-ongers to the Ginjiro-go and all of them turned and waved at the Shinkengers before they got on. The Go-ongers and Shinkengers continued to wave at each other as Gunpei carefully backed the Ginjiro-go out of the gates of the Shiba house and drove off.

o-o-o-o-o

The Ginjiro-go came to a stop in the circular driveway in front of the Sutou villa. Everyone debarked from the vehicle, with everyone helping to assist Miu with carrying her suitcases into the house. Saki looked at Miu. "It looks like _Hiroto-san_ is getting used to the idea of you and Sousuke being together. He hasn't been shooting daggers at Sousuke since we were at the food court yesterday."

"I know it hasn't been easy for him, but I'm glad he's trying." Miu sighed happily. She glanced over at Sousuke, who set her suitcase outside of her room as Hiroto went to his room to park his suitcase on his bed. When Sousuke approached her, smirking broadly, she asked him teasingly, "What are you so happy about?"

"I had a great weekend," answered Sousuke. "Spent time with good friends, had a lot of fun, got me a new girlfriend." With one arm, he drew Miu up against him and nuzzled her nose.

"Well, if you got a new girlfriend, I'll be out of your way," joked Miu. She giggled at the confused look on Sousuke's face before he realized that she had been joshing him and gently poked her forehead with a finger.

"So," said Gunpei to Hanto. "You and _Kaoru-chan_ are…?"

"Taking it slowly," answered Hanto. "She's a fantastic girl, but we're both new to this sort of thing. We'll definitely see each other this weekend at Motegi, when the Shinkengers go to see Sousuke race, but we're not making wedding plans or anything like that. We both still have to figure out how to ease _Tanba-san_ into dealing with us… being friends, but _Takeru-san_ is okay with it. What about you? Are you okay?"

Gunpei sighed. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You know, that Chiaki isn't such a bad guy. Have you seen how sweet he is to _Kotoha-chan_?"

"Yeah. The two of them look really good together. I only hope that I'll have the chance to be that way with _Kaoru-chan_. And don't worry; you'll find yourself a girlfriend soon."

"Sure hope so. My mom's been bringing up the arranged marriage stuff again lately. 'You're 26 years old, _Gun-chan_; why haven't you found a nice girl to marry yet?'" said Gunpei, mocking his mother's nagging, "'I'm going to set you up with Mrs. Kusanagi's daughter if you don't have a girlfriend by the end of the summer.'" Gunpei rolled his eyes and groaned.

Hanto laughed. "That's your mom, all right. By the way, I'm still not going to put on a dress to help you with that. You're on your own."

"Come on," begged Gunpei. "I can't ask Saki to help, and I sure as heck can't ask _Kotoha-chan_."

"Can't ask me to help with what?" asked Saki, who all of a sudden had appeared beside Gunpei.

"Gunpei's mom is bugging him again about not being married. He needs someone to pose as his girlfriend so that she'll leave him alone about it," answered Hanto, ignoring the death glare that Gunpei was giving him.

Saki looked up at Gunpei. "Is that all? If you need me to pretend to be your girlfriend for a day, I'll do it."

"There's no way she'd say ye– wait, what?"

Saki nodded. "We're teammates, and teammates are there for each other. You let me know when you need my help, and I'll do it. Now smile," said Saki, tugging the corners of Gunpei's cheeks up.

"Thanks, Saki. I owe you big time for this."

"All I ask is that you recommend my cake shop to everyone at the police station." Saki grinned. "That's all the thanks I need."

Hiroto addressed everyone, "Would anyone like something to drink? We have water, soda, juice, and milk."

Ren shook his head. "I think we had best be going. Sousuke's got some time trials to run tomorrow morning and I have to make sure his car makes the grade for it."

"Yeah," said Sousuke sadly. His playful demeanor vanished, and he looked at Miu. "I'll miss you," he said, cradling her face in both hands.

"I'll miss you, too," said Miu before she smiled brightly, " but I'll definitely be at the Twin Ring this weekend, so cheer up." She felt herself blush as Sousuke kissed her in front of everyone. "I love you, Sousuke."

"I love you, too, Miu. I'll call you when I get back to Motegi." Sousuke hugged Miu tightly before he reluctantly broke away to join Ren, Saki, Gunpei, and Hanto. "Take care of yourself and Hiroto."

Hiroto and Miu waved at the Ginjiro-go as it departed. "So," said Hiroto. "Quite a weekend we had with everyone, eh?"

Miu nodded. "_Ani_, thank you." She hugged Hiroto.

"For what?"

"For not killing Sousuke and me this weekend."

Hiroto chuckled. "I can't kill my sweet little sister, even if she's got weird taste in guys, and as for Sousuke, killing him would do neither of us any good. Now, come on," he said, turning Miu around to face the front door. "I'll help you unpack." Miu grinned as she and Hiroto headed into the villa.

o-o-o-o-o

Kaoru approached Takeru as he sat on his platform in the sitting room, eyes closed. "Takeru?"

Takeru opened his eyes. "Mother?"

"_Mako-chan_ told me that you talked to Hanto last night."

Takeru chuckled. "I did. I just wanted to make sure that I was reading him right. If I overstepped my bounds, I apologize. I've never had to face something like this before, and I just didn't want you to get set up for a fall or anything like that."

Kaoru nodded. "I appreciate that. Hanto's unlike anyone I've ever met. Of course, I haven't met very many people in my life, but I had a feeling that if he was a hero for justice like you and everyone else, then he must be not be a bad person."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. How's Tanba dealing with all of this?"

Kaoru giggled. "Tanba is being Tanba, but hopefully, you and _Hikoma-san_ will be of some help in helping him get used to all of this." She nodded once at Takeru. "Thank you for your concern and vigilance, Takeru. You do the Shiba name proud."

"Thank _you_, Mother." Takeru smiled as Kaoru turned and left the room.

On the back porch of the Shiba house, Chiaki and Kotoha sat side by side, looking up at the sky. Kotoha leaned her head against Chiaki's shoulder.

Chiaki glanced over at Kotoha. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, really." Kotoha looked down at her hands. "I'm just happy. Happy that we're all here together again, and happy that it was a fun weekend with the Go-ongers. I'm looking forward to spending this week with you and everyone else. I don't want it to end."

"Me neither," Chiaki assented. He moved his hand to take hold of Kotoha's, lacing their fingers. "I'm glad that we're both on spring break so that we can stay here for at least while _Nee-san_ and _Gen-chan_ are here. It'll kind of be like old times."

"Kind of?"

"Well, besides the Gedoushu currently being inactive," said Chiaki, "I don't have to hide how I feel about you, the way I used to have to." He leaned over and gently pressed his lips to Kotoha's.

Kotoha giggled. "That's true. I love you, Chiaki."

"I love you, too, Kotoha." He folded his arms around Kotoha's slender body, sighing happily as she embraced him in kind.

"Hey, guys!" called Genta from inside the house. "Dinner is served!"

Chiaki stood up and held his hands out to Kotoha. "_Gen-chan_ said that he was going to have us try some more of the fusion sushi he created in Paris. I can't wait to see what he's going to serve us." After helping Kotoha to her feet, Chiaki gave her a quick hug and peck on the lips before the two went into the house, holding hands.

**And there it is... I probably could write more, especially since I had Sousuke invite the Shinkengers to the Twin Ring Motegi for his next race, but I didn't want to be slaving over this story for years and get trapped into letting it fester long past it should, like I did with my _CSI: NY_ fic, which I still think I could have ended way better than I eventually did. In any case, I thank those of you who have read and reviewed!**


End file.
